The echo chamber of certainty

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The echo chamber of certainty

Lee Woo Young
The author is an HCMC distinguished professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study. 
 
Aristotle spent 20 years at Plato’s Academy but left in 347 BCE upon Plato’s death. As a Macedonian by birth, he could no longer remain in Athens, where anti-Macedonian sentiment was on the rise. Nine years later, following Macedonia’s conquest of Athens, Aristotle returned and established his school, the Lyceum, in a forested area near the city. His seminal work, “Physics,” originated from lectures given during this time. While much of the content is outdated by modern scientific standards, it served as the foundational textbook of natural science in the Western world for nearly two millennia, retaining its influence until the early 17th century.
 
In the early days of the Lyceum, Aristotle often lectured while strolling through the woods. His followers came to be known as the Peripatetics, derived from the Greek term for “strolling” or “walking.” Up until the 16th century, many scientists could still be considered loyal adherents of the Peripatetic school and Aristotle’s "Physics."
 
This intellectual dominance began to crumble in 1609 when Galileo Galilei discovered sunspots. The Peripatetics, representing the scientific orthodoxy of the time, refused to accept this evidence. According to Aristotle’s cosmology, celestial bodies were meant to be perfect, free of blemishes or imperfections. Galileo, using his telescope, invited scholars to observe the sunspots for themselves. They refused, convinced in advance that such imperfections could not exist. As one historian later remarked, “They already knew the truth without needing to look.”
 
Humans are prone to intellectual entrapment. This is especially true within mainstream society, where beliefs are often amplified by the “echo chamber effect.” This phenomenon reinforces preexisting convictions, making it imperative for us to critically question our certainties. Why do we hold the beliefs we do? If the answer is simply, “Because I belong to the mainstream,” then we are no different from the Peripatetics who opposed Galileo. To think of oneself as part of the mainstream is precisely why one must pay closer attention to dissenting voices. 
 
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. 
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