U.S. President John Adams once declared: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Similarly Thomas Henry Huxley, biologist and defender of Charles Darwin, stated that: “The great tragedy of Science — the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”
At one time we declared as crackpots people who denied facts and reality. But if only Adams and Huxley lived now in a world of alternative facts and reality it might be they who are declared crackpots for believing in truth and facts. Yet for those of us who still naively and perhaps foolishly believe that facts exist, science produces knowledge, and that there are ways to ascertain truth, contemporary politics is challenging. While crackpot claims and conspiracy theories are as old as human nature, crackpots seem everywhere, lurking behind every posting on the social media, stories in the news, and even press statements from the White House. Crackpotism does not discriminate, it seems to know no political, racial, ethnic, religious, or other bounds.
All of us want to think we are in the right and that others are wrong, but is it possible that you too are a crackpot? Ths crackpot quiz or index measures the degree to which you are a rigorous tough-minded truth seeker all the way up to being a certified five-star crackpot, ready to run for political office, host a social media site, or leader a group of similarly-minded folks. The quiz includes classic as well a contemporary questions.
Good luck!
1. The Earth is flat. True or false.
2. Fluoridation of water was and is bad for you. True or false.
3. God created the Earth on Sunday, October 23, 4004 BC at 9 a.m. True or false.
4. Vaccinations have been proven to cause autism. True or false.
5. Humans did not evolve from another species because evolution as a theory is wrong. True or false.
6. Global warming is a hoax cooked up by those who hate coal and the fossil-fuel industry. True or false.
7. You stocked up your basement with food and provisions in anticipation of Y2K. True or false.
8. Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in Dallas. True or false.
9. Elvis is alive. True or false.
10. You think that any politician or political party that you disagree with is the Anti-Christ. True or false.
11. You believe in the Anti-Christ. True or false.
12. You are the Anti-Christ. True or false.
13. You believe everything as true what you or your friends read or post on the social media. True or false.
14. You repost things on the social media before either verifying the source and accuracy of the story, or without reading it first. True or false.
15. Former President Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen and his Hawaiian birth certificate is fabricated. True or false.
16. The U.S. government is concealing information about a UFO crash landing of aliens at Area 51 in New Mexico. True or false.
17. Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. True or false.
18. The Holocaust occurred. True or false.
19. Crrypto-Zoology is a legitimate science. True or false.
20. All terrorists are Muslims. True or false.
21. All Muslims are terrorists. True or false.
22. The only good immigrants are your ancestors. True or false.
23. Donald Trump won the presidency with one of the largest Electoral College victories in US history. True or false.
24. Al Gore invented the Internet.
25. Life begins at:
a) Conception
b) Birth
c) When you get your driver’s license.
d) None of the above
e) All of the above
Answers (If you believe in facts and truth, if not go on to the score section).
1 F. 2 F. 3 F.4 F. 5 F. 6 F. 7 F. 8. T. 9. F. 10. F. 11. F.
12. F. 13. F. 14. F. 15. F. 16. F. 17. T. 18 T. 19 F. 20 F. 21. F
22. F. 23. F. 24. F. 25. E.
Score:
If you even took the test raises questions about whether you have insecurities about being a crackpot, or conversely, you actually believe in truth and facts. Nonetheless:
If you got 23-25 correct you are a tough-minded truth seeker, not fit for politics or working as a pundit in the national media.
If you got 20-22 correct you generally believe in facts and truth but you could be convinced to buy a deed to the Brooklyn Bridge.
If you got 17-19 correct truth and facts are challenges for you and you could either become a university professor espousing epistemological relativism or addicted to Sunday morning talk shows or tele-evangelicals.
If you got 14-16 correct truth and facts are matters of opinion and you believe that black helicopters are ready to land at any minute.
If you got 13 or less correct truth and facts are only what you believe and congratulations, you are certified five-star crackpot.
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