Philosophy literally translates to "love of wisdom." Socrates was among the leading practitioners of philosophy in ancient Greece. Follow his logic in the test of the three sieves (filters):
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1. Is it true?
2. Is it good?
3. Is it useful?
Gossip and rumor fly in an era of social media run wild. Untruths and conspiracy theories are abundant. As listeners, we're tasked with separating truth from fiction.
Truth
Investigative journalist Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, explained that his job entailed finding the best available version of the truth. He insists on documentation and confirmation of sources.
After he wrote his book The Brethren, about the Supreme Court, Woodward was contacted by a former court clerk who said that a quote attributed to him was incorrect. Woodward invited him to his home and showed him the quote in the clerk's handwriting. The clerk said he would have sworn that was not true.
Separating truth from fiction often isn't easy. It takes discipline and patience not to spread unverified information. And our memories fail.
Before spreading rumors, use the first filter, "Is it true?"
Goodness
Consider whether a rumor is good or harmful. If someone says, "Did you know that she wrote the whole term paper using AI?," it's certainly not good and unknown whether it's true.
Even if you could verify that it were true, it fails on the second filter, "Is it good?"
Useful
Does the information we will hear in a rumor or conspiracy help us navigate our world? "There's a rabid animal in our neighborhood." That would be useful to keep ourselves and our pets away from that animal. The most common 'suburban' rabies vectors are raccoons and skunks, and less often foxes and coyotes. All live locally, so the useful information is to stand clear.
Before circulating or hearing rumors or gossip, whether about volleyball or anything else, think about these three filters and save ourselves and others troubles.
Another approach is applying the THINK acronym, derived from those Socratic sieves.
Acronyms are often easier to recall.
Every one of us has passed on information that doesn't meet these values. Sometimes that's from ignorance, others from not thinking well. Make the effort to pass Socrates' tests, wisdom from ancient times.
Lagniappe. Trust. Hat tip: Larry McKenzie
Trust is a foundational value for high performance organizations.
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