Bullshit Receptivity - An Academic Paper

[AnOwlCalledSage]

Now this could have been posted in many different topics on this forum, but I think as it's applicable to many subjects discussed, that a standalone posting is the best place for it!

Who falls for fake news? The roles of bullshit receptivity, overclaiming, familiarity, and analytic thinking

A highlight from the abstract:

We find consistent evidence that the tendency to ascribe profundity to randomly generated sentences – pseudo-profound bullshit receptivity – correlates positively with perceptions of fake news accuracy, and negatively with the ability to differentiate between fake and real news (media truth discernment). Relatedly, individuals who overclaim regarding their level of knowledge (i.e. who produce bullshit) also perceive fake news as more accurate.

And the TL;DR version:

Our results suggest that belief in fake news has similar cognitive properties to other forms of bullshit receptivity

Or. in simple terms, once you start believing bullshit you're on the slippery slope to believing all bullshit!

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm ... id=3023545

[Pottapaug1938]

http://sebpearce.com/bullshit/

If you can't make up your own, here's a tool which will do it for you. A choice example:

You and I are beings of the stratosphere.

Transformation is the healing of wonder, and of us. Consciousness consists of electromagnetic forces of quantum energy.

“Quantum” means an unfolding of the heroic.

Bondage is the antithesis of transformation.

Our conversations with other seekers have led to an unveiling of pseudo-interstellar consciousness. Reality has always been radiating warriors whose hearts are opened by self-actualization. We are at a crossroads of curiosity and pain.

Throughout history, humans have been interacting with the galaxy via electromagnetic resonance. Humankind has nothing to lose. We are in the midst of a cosmic summoning of karma that will give us access to the world itself.

Who are we? Where on the great circuit will we be guided? The stratosphere is calling to you via psionic wave oscillations.

Can you hear it? How should you navigate this consciousness-expanding quantum soup?

Where there is yearning, love cannot thrive.

Prophet, look within and unify yourself. Although you may not realize it, you are sacred. If you have never experienced this oasis on a cosmic scale, it can be difficult to live.

The solar system is overflowing with sub-atomic particles. We grow, we dream, we are reborn. This life is nothing short of an ennobling reimagining of astral choice.

[Pottapaug1938]

There's also this:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ps ... b2818e4020

It gives a link to the same paper mentioned above.

[Arthur Rubin]

http://sebpearce.com/bullshit/

...

Our conversations with other seekers have led to an unveiling of pseudo-interstellar consciousness. Reality has always been radiating warriors whose hearts are opened by self-actualization. We are at a crossroads of curiosity and pain.

Seems better written than some of the Sovereign Citizen court filings. About as much real content, also.

[ArthurWankspittle]

Oh no, a semi-automatic Anna von RitzCracker. Just add constitutional quotes.

[Tevildo]

There's one semi-serious question I'd like to ask based on the paper (pp 6-7):

CRT [Cognitive Reflection Test] performance predicts a wide range of psychological factors (for various theoretical reasons) – including, for example, religious and paranormal disbelief, moral judgments and values, attitudes toward science, altruism, and smartphone use.

Are high scores on the test correlated negatively with smartphone use? I would guess that's the case, but I'd be very interested if that's what the evidence actually supports.

[Manny]

Interesting paper and well put. One anomaly I detected is that you quote your previous works as references. I thought only the bible did that...

[Cpt Banjo]

For longer bullshit papers, try The Postmodernism Generator. http://www.elsewhere.org/pomo/

This explains its background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernism_Generator

[Judge Roy Bean]

Hmmm ... I'm impressed thus far, but:

Given that the creators of fake news are not beholden to editorial norms ...

This ignores the reality that today's "editorial norms" do not necessarily include strict adherence to "the truth."

Our news media culture has mutated well beyond simple advocacy journalism.