Sometimes I see quotes on the internet that I really want to be true. People will attach names to quotes in order to give them greater credence, which is one of the more common logical falacies- appeal to authority. I really want some of them to be true, but I try very hard not to pass them on unless I can cite the source. When I can prove it was said by someone else, I cite that source too.
This is a primary driving force behind the books in my library. I have tracked down books that are out of print so that I can prove not only what people said but also the contextual clues that surround those quotes. Several years ago, a prominent member of my Faith quoted something out of context in an attempt to coerce me. All he did was cite chapter and verse, probably thinking I wouldn't know what it said, and when I challenged him on it, having unbeknownst to him committed it to memory by a coincidence several years earlier, he balked.
When I see fake quotes online, I try to address them. I know many people rely on Google and Wikipedia for their information, but like I tell my students, it's always better to do your own research, to do your own homework. I have spent a lot of money tracking down books so that I could accurately verify what was said by whom and why. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation knows that I have a complete and matching original set of his works, making me one of a few select private individuals who can say that. Added to that, I have actually read these books whereas other people go online and just assume that what they read Jefferson said is true.
I believe the worst type of ignorance is willful ignorance. Blithely passing on things as if they were true without verifying them is laziness atop ignorance. Parrots do that. Even where I cannot prove it, I will admit that, saying something like, "It's true, but I forget where I read it. I invite you to verify the truth. --Gavin Sweeting". I was there when Gavin said that, so I know it happened.
Several years ago, I visited Independence Hall for the first time. Immediately prior to my visit, I had completed reading John Adams' notes from the continental congress. When the tour guide said three things that were not true, I called her on it. "Don't make me go back to my friend's house, grab the book, come back here and prove you wrong," I told her. My friend calmed me down enough to back off that challenge, but I complained to the National Park Service because I had been rejected for a job at the site for "inability to demonstrate sufficient subject matter mastery for the job". I still have that job rejection letter. I was angry. I knew more than the tour guide, and she told me I was off my rocker. Several weeks later, the Secretary of the Interior called me, and events were set in motion to make things right.
Some people are paid to study. I'm a professor, and we are paid part of the day to prepare for lectures. That means reading the book, getting our facts straight, keeping abreast of current events, etc. Very few professors prepare every semester (I have had no choice since I have never taught as yet the same course twice), relying instead on old notes to save time. We do the students a disservice when we teach falsehoods or "the philosophies of men mingled with truth". My opinions are irrelevant. Nobody will ask them what their professor's opinion was. They will ask them for truth. If I do not do this, I am willfully ignorant, and many other innocents may pay the price.
I am convinced that willful ignorance is related to sloth and arrogance. When you think you know everything, what need have you to learn? However, I cannot prove that Einstein ever said that the only thing worse than ignorance is arrogance. I think the worst kind of ignorance is willful ignorance, because if you have the opportunity to learn and reject it, that makes you more foolish. Who is the bigger fool- the person who cannot read or the person who can who does not?
Do not be afraid to learn for yourself and challenge people on their premise. As I teach my students, everyone has an angle, and my angle is to convince them that everyone has an angle. At least I own that I have one. When we pass on things that are not true, we waste their time and substance because people make decisions based on the information given to them. The better the information I have, even if it's not complete, the better my decisions will be and the more reliable and useful my conclusions will prove to the world. You get out of something what you put in. Make sure you put in something quality, something learned, and most of all something true.
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