Making Sense with Sam Harris
#350 — Sharing Reality
Jan 23, 2024
Jonathan Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of 'The Constitution of Knowledge,' joins independent journalist Josh Szeps for a deep dive into the challenges facing our reality-based community. They discuss how societal fragmentation and media evolution impact truth dissemination. The conversation touches on the decline of moral intelligence, the role of independent journalism, and the urgent need for diverse viewpoints. They also highlight the dangers posed by misinformation and the ethical dilemmas in today’s sensationalized media landscape.
42:35
Episode guests
AI Summary
Highlights
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- The Constitution of Knowledge, consisting of norms and institutions, is vital for anchoring societies to a shared reality through productive disagreement and fact-checking.
- The changing media landscape, driven by algorithms and alternative platforms, poses challenges in maintaining a shared understanding of reality, emphasizing the need for ethical reporting, fact-checking, and institutional norms.
Deep dives
The Constitution of Knowledge and the Reality-Based Community
The podcast episode explores the concept of the Constitution of Knowledge, which refers to the system of norms and institutions in liberal societies that anchor us to a common version of reality. It emphasizes the importance of rules and structure in enabling productive disagreement and fact-checking. The reality-based community, which includes academia, science, media, and government, plays a vital role in developing objective knowledge. The discussion delves into the challenges faced by the media landscape, the need for diversity of viewpoint, and the impact of social media on our shared understanding of reality.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
