What has happened to facts?

Last night there was a Republican debate. Few would dispute that the audience appeals were strictly visceral. Candidates did not bother trying to say things that made sense, let alone that were true. Ted Cruz, for instance, spoke of precision carpet bombing, which is an oxymoron. The current leader in the Republican field, Donald Trump, habitually makes false claims.

How did facts - or lies - lose their power?

One possibility - not that there's likely one answer - is that everyone has a source for whatever they believe now. Anyone can find an authority who reinforces their beliefs and disparages people/authorities/ideas/media that challenge them. Perhaps the presence of creed-specific echo chambers has led to epistemic closure within them

But the idea of an echo chamber seems to suppose semantic beliefs, ones that can be verbalized and that maybe in some way are mutually consistent. And maybe that's a problem with the idea. Statements have become markers for being in a group rather than building blocks for ideas that can be advocated or defended. A crowd cheering the notion of precision carpet bombing may just be full of people too stupid to notice a contradiction, but it's more likely to be full of people cheering the rejection of articulable belief beyond articulation of support/loyalty for a party or candidate. "We have our facts, you have your facts," they might say to the outgroup, "so who needs facts at all?"

Hoist on its own "evenhandedness"

I feel like the (ugh, hate the phrase) "mainstream media's" general unwillingness to identify lies as such outside of the editorial pages/shows over the 2K's is finally coming around in a way it doesn't like. If the NyTimes presents birther screaming as a tenable point of view (even if just by implication/omission) it shouldn't be surprised when candidates feel no obligation to substantiate any assertions. 

http://www.nytimes.com/.../candidates-stick-to-script-if...

Candidates Stick to Script, if Not the Truth, in 2016 Race

NYTIMES.COM|BY MICHAEL BARBARO