The Filter

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Propaganda Techniques
IPA Classical
Ad hominem Ad nauseam Appeal to fear Appeal to authority Bandwagon Big lie Black-and-white fallacy Glittering generalities Name-calling Transfer Testimonial Plain folks
Emotional & Identity
Fear-mongering Scapegoating Dehumanization Appeal to prejudice Classical conditioning Beautiful people Flag-waving Stereotyping
Evidence & Logic Distortion
Cognitive dissonance exploitation Whataboutism Straw man Cherry-picking False urgency Gish gallop Guilt by association Half-truth Disinformation
Language & Framing
Loaded language Euphemism & doublespeak Diversion / red herring
Modern & Structural
Manufactured consensus Firehose of falsehood Algorithmic bias Agenda-setting Astroturfing Information overload Demoralization Divide and rule Flak Labeling
Psychology-derived
Future faking Institutional gaslighting Love bombing Cult of personality See the full hub →
Cognitive Biases
Self & Identity
Confirmation bias Self-serving bias In-group bias Dunning-Kruger effect Belief perseverance Backfire effect Overconfidence bias Barnum effect Naive realism Cognitive dissonance
Social & Conformity
Bandwagon effect Authority bias Social desirability bias Outgroup homogeneity effect Just-world hypothesis Bystander effect Fundamental attribution error Availability cascade False consensus effect
Memory & Perception
Illusory truth effect Availability heuristic Primacy-recency effect Rosy retrospection Misinformation effect Hindsight bias Salience bias Mere exposure effect
Judgment & Decision-Making
Anchoring bias Sunk cost fallacy Framing effect Representativeness heuristic Planning fallacy Survivorship bias Motivated reasoning Base rate neglect Gambler's fallacy
Threat & Risk
Negativity bias Optimism bias Zero-risk bias Probability neglect Affect heuristic Hyperbolic discounting Illusion of control Loss aversion
Meaning & Pattern
Apophenia / patternicity Narrative bias Proportionality bias Teleological thinking Intentionality bias Halo-Horns effect Illusory correlation See the full hub →
The Commandments Join the Club
TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.     •     TWELVE HABITS. ONE MIND.
NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.     •     NOT RULES. REFLEXES.
The Filter Club // Commandments

THE
COMMANDMENTS

Not rules. Reflexes you train, one at a time.

Twelve habits for a mind that's harder to play. Scroll through them one at a time, the way you'd actually build the habit, not the way you'd skim a list.

SCROLL
01
BOTH SIDES. EVERY TIME.     •     BOTH SIDES. EVERY TIME.     •     BOTH SIDES. EVERY TIME.     •     BOTH SIDES. EVERY TIME.     •     BOTH SIDES. EVERY TIME.     •     BOTH SIDES. EVERY TIME.

Know Both Sides.

Follow the channels, creators, and outlets you disagree with. Keep your feed genuinely bipartisan.

02
VERIFY BEFORE YOU FEEL.     •     VERIFY BEFORE YOU FEEL.     •     VERIFY BEFORE YOU FEEL.     •     VERIFY BEFORE YOU FEEL.     •     VERIFY BEFORE YOU FEEL.     •     VERIFY BEFORE YOU FEEL.

Choose Facts Over Feelings.

If a claim makes your blood boil before you've checked it, slow down and verify before you share.

03
WATCH WHAT THEY DO.     •     WATCH WHAT THEY DO.     •     WATCH WHAT THEY DO.     •     WATCH WHAT THEY DO.     •     WATCH WHAT THEY DO.     •     WATCH WHAT THEY DO.

Value Actions Over Words.

A track record built over years says more than a promise made this week.

04
CHECK THE FULL DATASET.     •     CHECK THE FULL DATASET.     •     CHECK THE FULL DATASET.     •     CHECK THE FULL DATASET.     •     CHECK THE FULL DATASET.     •     CHECK THE FULL DATASET.

Trust Only Detailed Stats From Verified Sources.

Statistics are easy to manipulate: a cherry-picked window, a missing baseline, a headline number with zero context behind it. Look at the full dataset, across the full timeframe, before you believe a single figure.

05
NOTICE THE DEFENSE.     •     NOTICE THE DEFENSE.     •     NOTICE THE DEFENSE.     •     NOTICE THE DEFENSE.     •     NOTICE THE DEFENSE.     •     NOTICE THE DEFENSE.

You Are Not Stubborn.

Confirmation bias and choice-supportive bias feel like conviction from the inside. Notice the moment you're defending a position because you already picked it.

06
READ THE PRIMARY SOURCE.     •     READ THE PRIMARY SOURCE.     •     READ THE PRIMARY SOURCE.     •     READ THE PRIMARY SOURCE.     •     READ THE PRIMARY SOURCE.     •     READ THE PRIMARY SOURCE.

Research Political Figures Yourself.

Read the primary sources, the voting record, the actual speech. A media profile or a PR-written bio is somebody else's research, packaged to look like yours.

07
WHAT'S POSSIBLE ISN'T PROOF.     •     WHAT'S POSSIBLE ISN'T PROOF.     •     WHAT'S POSSIBLE ISN'T PROOF.     •     WHAT'S POSSIBLE ISN'T PROOF.     •     WHAT'S POSSIBLE ISN'T PROOF.     •     WHAT'S POSSIBLE ISN'T PROOF.

Beware AI.

AI is here to stay. It makes propaganda dirt cheap and takes personalization to a whole new level. Deepfakes and convincing fake graphs are one click away. Stay wary of what's possible. Put your trust in verified sources.

08
MINIMIZE YOUR TRACE.     •     MINIMIZE YOUR TRACE.     •     MINIMIZE YOUR TRACE.     •     MINIMIZE YOUR TRACE.     •     MINIMIZE YOUR TRACE.     •     MINIMIZE YOUR TRACE.

Practice Good Cyber Hygiene.

Watch for phishing. Minimize your digital footprint, your data, your cookies. Don't click random links or join ragebait groups. Use a real password manager.

09
STANDARDS STILL MATTER.     •     STANDARDS STILL MATTER.     •     STANDARDS STILL MATTER.     •     STANDARDS STILL MATTER.     •     STANDARDS STILL MATTER.     •     STANDARDS STILL MATTER.

Trust Journalists With a Proven Track Record.

Media is NOT the enemy of the people. Many journalists carry standards, editors, and a reputation on the line. Trust the ones who've earned it.

10
WHO BENEFITS?     •     WHO BENEFITS?     •     WHO BENEFITS?     •     WHO BENEFITS?     •     WHO BENEFITS?     •     WHO BENEFITS?     •     WHO BENEFITS?

Follow the Money.

Ask who benefits if you believe this claim. Incentive-tracing is a different skill from fact-checking, and it catches what fact-checking alone misses.

11
UPDATE. DON'T DEFEND.     •     UPDATE. DON'T DEFEND.     •     UPDATE. DON'T DEFEND.     •     UPDATE. DON'T DEFEND.     •     UPDATE. DON'T DEFEND.     •     UPDATE. DON'T DEFEND.

Change Your Mind When Evidence Changes.

Updating a belief when the circumstances change was never a loss.

12
TRAIN THE MUSCLE.     •     TRAIN THE MUSCLE.     •     TRAIN THE MUSCLE.     •     TRAIN THE MUSCLE.     •     TRAIN THE MUSCLE.     •     TRAIN THE MUSCLE.

Keep Training Your Critical Thinking.

It can be trained, like a muscle.

Twelve habits. One club.

These aren't graded. There's no quiz waiting at the bottom. Just a code worth living by, if you want a mind that's harder to play.

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