Summary Assignment Complete Revision

Ishani Roychowdhury Roychowdhury | 1
Mrs. Beth Jones
ENGL 108
2/1/20
Summary of “Why We Trust Lies”
Everyone lies. Parents, teachers, friends, siblings and even news reporters lie. So, why do
people trust them? An article called “Why We Trust Lies”, written by philosophers of science
Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall in September 2019, explains the reasons why
humans tend to trust false information. The authors briefly describe this as “The most effective
misinformation starts with seeds of truth” in the journal Scientific American (O’Connor and
Weatherall 54). O’Connor and Weatherall separated the reasons for why people trust lies into
two main points. The first point discusses how social media plays a huge role in spreading false
information. The second point considers the psychological concept of conformity and how
humans inherently want to blend in and conform to societal standards.
After a short story about hornworms spreading diseases in the 1800’s, the authors
described an important concept called “social transmission of knowledge” (O’Connor and
Weatherall 56). They define this concept as how people divulge information to others. O’Connor
and Weatherall believe that the fake news people see shared on platforms like Instagram, Twitter
and Facebook have escalated the spread of false information. The simplicity of social media
interfaces allows users to share information with one click. For example, the authors use
examples of conspiracy theory-like pieces of false information that has been spread around the
internet. The authors say there has been “widespread misconceptions concerning topics ranging
from the prevalence of voter fraud, to whether the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged, to
whether vaccines are safe” (O’Connor and Weatherall 56). The ‘others’ that social media users
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share this information with are normally friends and family who trust the person retweeting,
sharing and liking the information.
O’Connor and Weatherall explore the contagion model to explain why misinformation
spreads to others via trusted individuals. The basis of the model is that “ideas are like viruses that
go from mind to mind” (O’Connor and Weatherall 60). An idea is born in someone’s mind and
then that trusted individual spreads it to others in the community. Basically, people develop
beliefs and ideas about the world from other trusted individuals and the environment they are
brought up in. This model is generally used to describe unusual patterns of behavior in society. It
is also used to reveal the path that false information takes to get to the internet. This one, trusted
person in the community can influence collective beliefs and ideas (also known as conformity).
Conformity in society has been around for centuries. It is defined as “a preference to act
in the same way as others in one’s community” (O’Connor and Weatherall 56). To understand
conformity on a deeper level, O’Connor and Weatherall have assessed the issue of vaccinations
under the lens of network epistemology. This specific model can be broken down into two main
parts: the problem and the community of individuals. In the example the authors used about
vaccination, the problem was viewed as “vaccinate” or “don’t vaccinate”. The people in the
community are only able to learn from the environment they are in, so if something bad happens
to a child who is vaccinated, they will be an “anti-vaxxer”. This model is primarily based on
individual data collection and analysis. These individuals then share their thoughts with others
and if they provide enough evidence to back up their claims, then others will believe them. It is
impossible for a community to all have the same beliefs. The extremists are what makes a
community polarized. Selective sharing also plays a huge part in spreading misinformation,
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because most information goes through one person, and that one person decides what to share
with the community.
O’Connor and Weatherall do not have a sure-fire way to combat this spread of
misinformation. Social media is a big part of people’s lives and societal conformity is just part of
human nature. The contagion model and network epistemology help us understand our
tendencies to trust lies and these concepts go in depth about how the truth catalyzes the spread of
false information. The authors, although unsure themselves, do have some advice to offer to
those who are trying to decrease the volume of fake news in their lives. Their points can be
broken down into two questions: “What are the facts?” and “What should we do in light of them”
(O’Connor and Weatherall 61)? How people make their decisions based on the facts presented
to them is what is important for the future to avoid an epidemic of misinformation.

Roychowdhury | 4
Works Cited
O'Connor, Cailin, and James Owen Weatherall. “Why We Don't Trust Lies.” Scientific
American, Sept. 2019, pp. 54–61.

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Ishani Roychowdhury Roychowdhury | 1

Mrs. Beth Jones

Summary of “Why We Trust Lies”

humans inherently want to blend in and conform to societal standards.

described an important concept called “social transmission of knowledge” (O’Connor and

sharing and liking the information.

with the community.

to them is what is important for the future to avoid an epidemic of misinformation.

American, Sept. 2019, pp. 54–61.

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