We live in a time when disinformation is rampant across all media outlets, especially the new format of social media. This cynicism pervades advertising and marketing, government and politics, medicine and public health, as well as print, television, and radio journalism. Deliberate lies and expedient distortions, ad hominem attacks, and smearing implications prevail alongside honest news and accurate information. Amid this welter of news and “fake news,” consumers and citizens are left confused and atomized. We even question whether there is such a thing as objective truth, or whether truth is subjective and meaningful as such to individual persons. Are there objective facts, “alternative facts,” and credible evidence, or are these merely categories on which we decide based on perspective and ideology? In The Age of Disinformation, philosopher Burton Porter uncovers various forms of deception, arguing that a well-informed citizenry is fundamental to a free and democratic society.

In this book eminent philosopher Burton Porter examines the concept of "forbidden knowledge" in religion, science, government, and psychology. From the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden (forbidden fruit), to world altering scientific research (nuclear power, stem-cells, cloning) to damning government secrets (Abu Ghraib, domestic spying), to traumatic experiences that individuals want to repress (sexual abuse), humanity has encountered knowledge that has been hidden and suppressed. We experience this denial as a loss of control and respect, and we want to know exactly what knowledge has been prohibited and why we cannot have access to it. Forbidden knowledge, therefore, is of enormous interest to the general public. The basic question, then, is: when, if ever, should knowledge be forbidden? Are there sacred realms that human beings are not meant to explore? Can scientific research be a Frankenstein monster, which will harm us one day? When are government secrets necessary for national security, and when does the public have a right to know? Is too much information classified? When do databanks, eavesdropping, and surveillance invade our privacy? Is self-deception justified if the truth would be psychologically disturbing? In short, can we know more than is good for us? The author takes the general position that too much material is prohibited, especially today, even while business and government invade individual privacy more and more. A primary assumption in a democracy is that we can have confidence in the people, so information should not be forbidden unless there is a vital and compelling reason to withhold it.

In ancient Roman myth and religion, Janus was the god of physical and emotional gateways. He is traditionally shown as having two faces pointing in opposite directions, representing different perspectives, or perhaps a reconciliation of two points of view. He is the god of the past and the future, looking fore and aft, as Homer says. He is the god of transitions, doorways, beginnings and endings, passageways, options, change, entrances and exits. The Janus figure is a fitting symbol for this book, which concerns conflict and agreement between pairs of ideas. Janus, of course, is everyone - all of us -- as we struggle to reach decisions on the choices that punctuate our lives. We are unsure which is the real face of the Janus figure, or whether there is a right direction to point, although compasses are oriented toward true north. Janus is two-faced, not from hypocrisy or insincerity, but as a result of reflection. He always looks at both sides of the question, reflectively and deeply within the conscious mind. The ideas we will explore include such apparent polarities as justice and forgiveness, belief and skepticism, the ascetic and the sensuous. When we unpack these concepts, we discover that in some cases the two sides align and a compromise is possible. In other cases, they repel each other, like identical poles of magnets. All of the ideas will receive critical airings so that we can be clear on what we can believe, which choices can be avoided, and which ones must be confronted as alternatives.

This introduction to critical thinking covers the areas of (A) thought and language, (B) systematic reasoning, and (C) modes of proof. In addition to traditional topics such as ambiguity, definition, informal fallacies, deduction, and induction, this book uniquely presents the different rules of evidence in fields such as law, science, literature, and history. An accompanying Instructor's Manual contains the answers to the book's extensive exercises.