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The Influence of Knowledge, Opinion, and Propaganda upon History

Today's world is full of various sources of knowledge. However, not all of these sources provide adequately accurate information. Obtaining valid, truthful, and factual knowledge is almost backbreaking. Finding a source that lacks some sort of unreliable information is next to impossible. With the emergence of the term "internet" in the 1990s, one more source of knowledge was added to the already existing list which includes philosophers, scientists, politicians, organizations, the media, etc. The major problem with finding a reliable source of information is that there are no definite criteria for comparing one source to another. Another problem is the classification of the type of information obtained from a source. There are several types - the sought after knowledge, the unreliable opinion, and the compelling propaganda. These classifications are hidden within almost every source and must be distinguished by the person who is attempting to obtain truthful information in order to figure out whether the source is actually valid.

The primary criterion that categorizes sources is the truth value. To be able to determine the truth value of a source it is necessary to understand the definition of truth. Truth is defined as conformity to fact or actuality. Fact is defined as in reality, truth, and actuality. Reality is defined as the quality of being actual or true. Actuality means the state of being actual, factual, and real. One can not be defined without the other so it is evident that these definitions create a problem since they are not completely clear. Therefore every person can have his own definition of truth. However, most people's definitions will be somewhat similar - truth is a statement proven or accepted to be true (it is based on fact). Frederich Nietzsche once said, "there are no facts, only interpretations." If this statement is true (which means that it is a fact), it is not a fact but an interpretation and its truth value is decided by people who interpret it.

Truth distinguishes factual knowledge from opinion, two sources of information that exist in all areas of knowledge. Knowledge is defined as specific factual information about something. Factual knowledge is knowledge that is true. Opinion, on the other hand, is a conclusion held with confidence but not sustained by positive knowledge or proof. What one person may believe to be true is simply that person's opinion and can not be considered a fact until the majority of people in a particular group believe it to be true also. An example that poses a problem between fact and opinion is Descartes' statement "I think, therefore I am." While some people believe this to be a proof based on factual knowledge, others may hold an opinion that this is not so. These "others" are called existentialists. This group believes that the person thinks because he exists, not the other way around. Although some people hold opinions against the proof, it is accepted as fact by others and therefore can be considered factual knowledge within the group that accepts Descartes' statement. Whether information is chosen to be obtained from people who consider the proof to be factual knowledge or those who hold an opinion about it is valid is up to the persons who receive the information. Propaganda can not be distinguished by truth value as some propaganda is true, exaggerates truth, or attempts to pass fallacies as knowledge.

Another criterion that identifies opinion is whether the opinion is held by an insignificant amount of people or by a group that establishes the opinion as factual knowledge. Opinion of something being a fact is part of truth - a statement can not be true if people do not have the opinion of it being true. If a person comes up to another and says "In my opinion, Pepsi is sweeter than Coke," he states his opinion. If the other person agrees, the two now share an opinion and accept it as factual knowledge. However, it remains factual knowledge only between those two people unless more share the same opinion. To others the claimed fact is just an opinion that does not matter because the outsider group may accept the opinion that Coke tastes sweeter than Pepsi. There is a problem of labeling opinions as factual knowledge. How