March 10, 2024 - 8:00am
A Labour government will use maths and history lessons to help tackle the threat of fake news and conspiracy theories among young people, the Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this week. “Critical thinking” will be embedded “throughout the curriculum”, in an effort to prepare young people for a world of “fake news, of international relations slowly chilling, of our security threatened by bots and lies as well as tanks and planes”.
Speaking to an education conference, she suggested that maths lessons could be a means to examine how conspiracy theorists or political actors manipulate statistics. Meanwhile history lessons could draw on the manipulation of propaganda totalitarian governments have used in the past, encouraging students “to look at the purpose of messages and what perspective that is coming from”. Maths teachers will reportedly be expected to give examples of “plausible-looking but egregiously manipulated figures from conspiracy theorists, or political actors such as Russian bots”, and teach how to pick them apart.
Ahead of an election year full of alarmism about the threat of AI-generated disinformation, soundbites about turning children into sensible and discerning young citizens may herald the likely New Labour Restoration. But, behind the headlines, there is an ongoing debate around the extent to which the population is indeed susceptible to such fake news. At present there is disagreement among researchers as to what the definition of “disinformation” widely used in research that has fuelled post-2016 alarmism actually means. For all their apparent expertise, disinformation specialists are arguably just as susceptible to politicised bias as they might be in more traditional forms of journalism.
Research has suggested that accusations of foreign interference via “bots” and organised disinformation campaigns are broadly unfounded, but still the paranoia persists. A notable recent panic involved suggestions that TikTok was driving increased levels of Holocaust denial among young people, with one in five supposedly thinking the massacre of millions of Jews during the Second World War never happened. Yet a revised survey criticising the opt-in polling which generated those headlines has put the number among under-30s closer to 3%.
Other researchers have argued that, contrary to alarmist headlines and other flawed polling, certain conspiracy theories, particularly around climate change, are in fact falling out of favour; a 2021 YouGov poll demonstrated that Britain has some of the lowest rates of belief in conspiracy theories in the world.
Phillipson has insisted that it Labour’s initiative is not a means to encourage “young people to view the world in a certain way”, but reorienting subjects which to some extent already teach these skills towards tackling the threat of conspiratorial thinking will undoubtedly involve politicised decisions around how to frame the issue. The questions which have to be asked include: which examples of “disinformation” will be used, what their adjacent conspiracies are, and why young people need to be wary about them.
Tempting as it may be to bring the extreme populist horrors of QAnon, Alex Jones and the “Great Reset” into the classroom to frame the seriousness of the issue, efforts to do so risk amplifying the precise disinformation they intend to tackle. A widely criticised BBC Verify survey in partnership with King’s College London made this mistake when it appeared to be polling people on conspiracy theories they had never actually heard of.
As the original commission into teaching young people about fake news in schools acknowledged, most schoolchildren, like the British population at large, still get their news from mainstream broadcasters. Labour plans will shift the emphasis away from the ongoing crisis of trust in British media, turning the classroom into the latest front line in the “information wars”. Forget the children: this will bring with it a whole set of debates that continue to divide the adults.
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SubscribeIf the Great Reset is an “extreme populist horror”, why has Klaus Schwab written two books about it, and our king made the launch speech about it?
“critical thinking”…
“In a narrow sense, “Critical Theory” (often denoted with capital letters) refers to the work of several generations of philosophers and social theorists in the Western European Marxist tradition known as the Frankfurt School. Beginning in the 1930s at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, it is best known for interdisciplinary research that combines philosophy and social science with the practical aim of furthering emancipation.”
What this means is “control of the means and methods of thought, through the institutions” which is being spearheaded by DEI, ESG, CRT and Queer Theory.
Well hang on. All that Frankfurt School stuff is “Critical Theory”, a particular school of thought. Let’s not give its proponents branding rights over the much more common sense and general idea of critical thinking, which just means to look closely at any claim made by anyone; akin to circumspection or scepticism.
‘Critical thinking’ is logic for dummies. ‘Critical Theory’ is the Frankfurt School etc. There is no connection whatsoever between them.
You are correct. Unfortunately, there are many academics and students who are unable to tell the difference between the two as you do. They truly believe that believing in Critical Theory makes them critical thinkers. This is part of the reason of so much animosity toward non-degree holders by the education establishment. Because the ‘right’ reject Critical Theory, they are uncritical and therefore not worth consulting about anything.
Critical Theory is to academics what Scientology is to Hollywood actors.
On the upside, Critical Theory (at least initially) encouraged the critique of dominant elite ideology. It wasn’t a way of warning the kids about dangerous outsiders. It encouraged people to look at what those in dominance were saying, and how it might serve their interests. In a sense, the critical theorists were the outsiders.
Now such a look at the ideology of our current elites, and what their interests might be in promoting it, would not be a bad thing. The problem with critical theorists is that they have largely been co opted as border guards for the new dominant ideology. Or are still busy fighting a bourgeois ideology that was current fifty years ago. But then who wouldn’t do that for a cushy job and a second home in tuscany.
Good discussion, but central to critical theory is asking the question who is saying this, rather than what is being said. So the approach envisaged may not be so far from critical theory.
Critical thinking may or may not be about logic, although logic should of course be employed wherever possible. There are areas of discourse such as theology where logic in the traditional sense at least isn’t the primary means of establishing one’s position. Our oldest universities were founded for the promulgation of theology, or Divinities.
Critical Thinking = Agreeing with whatever is the accepted orthodoxy at any given time as authored by the elite ruling caste at that time.
So nausea inducing globalist progressive Left New New Labour.
Time to throw the telly, radio and internet in the canal for the next 5 years.
There is a crisis of trust in British media, but it’s still not reached the levels of mistrust in the political parties, ironic then that they would consider themselves the guardians of truth. Especially Labour, who widely believe that a woman can have a p***s – if they can’t get that right then there’s little hope for subjects with a little more complexity.
But it has, no? 12% trust in the parties in the FT poll.
“Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the Party.
On the contrary, they adored the Party and everything connected with it… All their ferocity was turned outwards, against the enemies of the State, against foreigners, traitors, saboteurs, thought-criminals. It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children.”
George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty Four
This is why I am against LGBQT issues being ‘taught’ in schools. It is the vehicle through which the state seeks to circumnavigate parental safeguards in order to access and indoctrinate children. Your parents don’t believe you can be the opposite sex? What transphobic bigots. Why don’t you just come over to us and we’ll affirm you.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/when-the-state-comes-for-your-kids
Perhaps schoolchildren could be taught to deconstruct Hamas’s mendacious figures for casualties in Gaza. I’m sure that wouldn’t be in the least contentious. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/how-gaza-health-ministry-fakes-casualty-numbers
So you say there is less genocide going on under Bibi and Biden than Hamas says?
How about the true deaths of Ukrainian soldiers is 400,000 – 500,000 (Alexander Mercouris, Macgregor, S Ritter, Napalatino) and 100,000 amputations to the fake numbers HMG, Zalenski, and MSM numbers of 50,000 –
So what can you say when every report in any ‘Trusted’ positions in the Government and Media is pure Lies?
Quite right to be sceptical of Labour’s interest in anything to do with misinformation, as we can legitimately suspect all they mean is to nudge students to align their views with leftist bien-pensant orthodoxy.
On the other hand, genuine critical thinking to expose fake information, through such tools as statistical reverse engineering is completely legitimate. Just this week an article by a statistician in Tablet Magazine did just that to show Hamas’s casualty statistics for Gaza, so beloved by the woke River-to-the-Sea mob, are certainly fake.
Worth reading to see how it was done, and would be a great classroom exercise : https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/how-gaza-health-ministry-fakes-casualty-numbers
(I really hope this comment doesn’t get held up by UnHerd’s censorbot for three days.)
A good thing if done even handedly and with a genuine desire to improve thinking. Not if we are just teaching kids to use ad hominem arguments against stereotyped bogeymen.
So will the new emphasis on critical thinking enable kids to see through the original claim? This looks like a classic case study for kids to get their teeth into.
Or if a teacher decides to use some of our own sacred cows, will that lead to accusations of misogyny, racism, trans phobia or whatever?
For a theory that claims to be critical, Critical Theory is wholly uncritical of itself.
‘Conspiracy theory’
Or skeptical conservative thought as it used to be known.
No wonder our Left leaning friends want dissenting discourse banned.
It’s in their DNA, in their constitution
To stifle and to ban
The entire article above is sheer lies, distortions and 1984, and Lavrenty Beriaesk. They seek to create a New World Order Komsomol, Hit* ler youth, Mao Red Guard, Big Brother Youth Spies, kind of thought control to make the young love their enslavers and work their dirty jobs for them, and obey the directives.
Conspiracy Theory = Truth in fact.
MSM Truth = Lies. (owned by the Mi6, CIA, NSA, DHS, MOD, WHO, WEF)
Because every thing the Government and MSM tell you is Lies! We live in a 100% Fas* ist West. (Fas* ist = gov and private finance, industry, tech, media, social media, education are One.)
What the article is really saying is they are trying to figure out a way to train the children to rationalize all the lies they are told by the Global Elites via Government, education, and media and find them true wile they are lies – Wile ignoring the actual truth by labeling it conspiracy theory.
”’Tempting as it may be to bring the extreme populist horrors of QAnon, Alex Jones and the “Great Reset” into the classroom to frame the seriousness of the issue, efforts to do so risk amplifying the precise disinformation they intend to tackle.”
haha, WWG1WGA, and ever notice how Elon Musk uses the emoji of a pizza to denotate pedo? haha…. Salty Cracker calls all the top people in WHO, WEF, Education, Education, Entertainment, Government, Media, finance ”Kid F** king Lizard People”’ – because they are.
Offical ‘Truth’ = Lies
Conspiracy Theory = Truth
This article = Deep State.
haha… They wish for the teacher to hold up three fingers and ask the class how many it is – and they not know till he tells then the answer – ”it is four fingers children, today” – he says, and they all see the 4”. And this program is to make that happen. (Because to say 3 would be to repeat a conspiracy Theory, today. Tomorrow in may be two, haha – this is the world they create)
Hold on to the end of your bed – We’ve alerted the men in white coats and they will be with you as soon as possible. In the meantime perhaps you could tell me what Mi6 is. Also do you lump the DOD in with the MOD? What is the alternative name for MI1?
Using “haha” in what’s meant to be an adult discussion isn’t the way to convince anyone.
FFS. The politicians are the main producers of fake news (alongside the media). And they think they should be trusted to po lice it.
Talk about marking your own homework.
But that’s Labour for you – elevating stupidity at every opportunity.
All this in the very week that Sir Starmer stands at the Despatch Box and bleats about how the Tories have ‘maxed out the UK’s Credit Card’. That the UK economy is analogous to that of a household is one of the most destructive pieces of disinformation we’ve suffered over the last 50 years.
Oh, and the entire notion of ‘Russian-bots’ influencing anything at all is itself a conspiracy theory.