The Algorithm and the Ape: What Happens When AGI Meets a Narcissist
June 4, 2025Flourishing with Integrity: A Compass for the Confused Soul
June 11, 2025“We’re drowning in information while starving for wisdom.”
— E.O. Wilson
Let’s get something straight: we’re living in the Age of Unreality. It’s not that truth no longer exists—it’s that it now has a PR department, a TikTok account, and a team of digital lobbyists. Somewhere between your uncle’s conspiracy meme and a PhD paper on string theory, most of us have lost our compass for what the hell to believe.
Enter: Bullsh*t Detection.
I don’t mean the sort of smug, “I’m the smartest guy in the room” skepticism that dominates Reddit threads and YouTube comment sections. I mean a grounded, teachable skill that can help you tell the difference between a well-formed argument and a beautifully polished pile of nonsense.
This post isn’t about dunking on people. It’s about survival—intellectual, emotional, even spiritual.
Step One: Recognize the Signs of Emotional Hijacking
If something makes you feel instantly outraged, morally superior, or weirdly euphoric, pause. You’ve likely been hooked—by emotion, not logic.
Bullsh*t loves drama. It thrives on intensity because emotional arousal bypasses your critical faculties and puts your limbic system in the driver’s seat.
Ask yourself:
- Who benefits from me feeling this way?
- Is this information meant to enlighten or inflame?
If it’s the latter, it may be intellectually bankrupt—just beautifully dressed.
Step Two: Beware the Pretty Package
Some of the most dangerous ideas come wrapped in “sciency” language, faux-expert interviews, or perfectly lit Instagram reels. It’s not the information—it’s the presentation that gets us.
Just because someone uses words like “quantum,” “deep state,” or “data-driven” doesn’t mean they’re telling the truth. These are often linguistic decoys used to create the illusion of depth.
Rule of thumb: The more an argument relies on jargon instead of explanation, the more likely it’s hiding a weak foundation.
Step Three: Examine the Structure, Not the Style
Real arguments—like real buildings—have structure: premises, evidence, counterpoints, and conclusions.
Bullsh*t, on the other hand, is often a house of mirrors: dazzling reflections that never connect to anything solid.
Test questions:
- Is there any actual evidence, or just opinions stacked like pancakes?
- Does the argument survive if you remove one or two key claims?
- Can the person explain their point without invoking enemies, messiahs, or conspiracies?
Step Four: Be Willing to Be Wrong
Here’s the kicker: the best bullsh*t detectors are willing to change their minds. That’s the paradox.
If you can’t admit the possibility that you might be wrong, then your beliefs aren’t beliefs—they’re identity armor.
When your sense of self is welded to an idea, no amount of evidence can reach you. That’s when we stop learning and start lobbing grenades over social media.
The best thinkers are not always the loudest; they’re the ones who ask the most honest questions.
Step Five: Practice Intellectual Humility (Without Becoming a Doormat)
Critical thinking isn’t about being cynical. It’s about remaining curious, cautious, and courageous.
It means:
- Pausing before reposting.
- Asking for sources.
- Reading beyond the headline.
- Accepting complexity.
And it also means you don’t have to correct every friend or relative over dinner. Sometimes, walking away from an argument is the highest form of epistemic grace.
Bonus: The Quick BS Detection Toolkit
Here’s your mental glovebox checklist. Run any claim through these five filters:
- Who is making the claim, and what is their incentive?
- What evidence is offered, and is it independently verifiable?
- Does the conclusion follow logically from the premise?
- Does it rely on emotional manipulation or fear?
- Would I still believe this if it were coming from my ideological “opponent”?
Final Thoughts: Truth Isn’t a Weapon—It’s a Compass
We can’t always know what’s true. But we can get better at spotting what’s false.
In a world where information is weaponized, critical thinking is an act of spiritual rebellion—a quiet, steady refusal to be fooled, seduced, or stampeded.
And if you’ve read this far, you’re already in the resistance.
Stay awake, stay skeptical, and—for God’s sake—check your sources.