like him. Although Bill could benefit from taking one of my critical thinking classes, he would not endorse things as noticeably false as relativism and that the Earth never ages. And while we cannot be sure that Colbert wasn't lying when he “broke character” and said that was just playing a character, he really did seem to give away the game when he spoke out in an interview against the things I have condemned in this chapter: relativism, truthiness, right to opinion, and gut thinking.
Truthiness is tearing apart our country … it does not seem to matter what facts are. It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. People love … president [Bush] because he's certain of his choices as a leader, even if the facts that back him up do not seem to exist. It's the fact that he's certain that is very appealing to a certain section of the country. I really feel a dichotomy in the American populace. What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true?46
So, it seems, the real Stephen Colbert agrees. We do not want to be relativists, thinking that groups or individuals can determine what is true. We also do not want to be gut thinkers, believing our intuition can be enough justification for controversial beliefs. We should defend our positions against argument, and when we cannot defend them we should give them up. We want to have a concern for truth and try our best to find out what it true. And, when we realize that we do not have enough evidence to draw an informed conclusion about something, we should be agnostic – we should admit, like Socrates, that we simply do not know the answer – instead of hiding behind a call for “a right to our opinion.”
All of these mistakes are tempting when doing philosophy because philosophical questions are so hard to answer. It's easy to give up, think there is no answer, and just appeal to the majority, your gut, or your right to believe whatever you want. But the fact that an answer is hard to find does not entail that the answer is not there. Philosophy does make progress – it just takes a while. By engaging in the philosophical endeavor, you are taking part in a very large and long process that answers the most important questions a person can ask. They will not all be answered in your lifetime, but you should be able to discover answers that you can at least defend with rational argument.
For pop culture resources and philosophical resources related to this chapter please visit the website for this book: https://introducingphilosophythroughpopculture.com.
Notes
1 1 The Colbert Report, October 18, 2007.
2 2 The Rush Limbaugh Show, www.rushlimbaugh.com.
3 3 LaMarre, H.L., Landreville, K.D., and Beam, M.A. (2009). The irony of satire: political ideology and the motivation to see what you want to see in The Colbert Report . The International Journal of Press/Politics 14: 212.
4 4 Wilstein, M. (2019). Stephen Colbert: I Could Never Play Right‐Wing “Colbert Report” Character Under Trump. Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen‐colbert‐i‐could‐never‐play‐colbert‐report‐character‐under‐trump (November 8, 2019).
5 5 See Kurtz, H. . (2005). Tv's Newest Anchor: A Smirk in Progress. Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐dyn/content/article/2005/10/09/AR2005100901551.html (October 10, 2005). See also Bierly, M. . (2006). Show Off. Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,677356,00.html. (July 22, 2006).
6 6 “The Daily Show … unwittingly paid ‘Jordan Klepper’ to be a mole against them. They had no idea I was playing them this whole time … I played them so hard. I learned their liberal ways, I donated to their liberal causes, I voted for their liberal candidates … ‘This [pointing to a picture of himself in the same clothes] is not a character. This is the real me.’” The Opposition, September 25, 2017.
7 7 Bradley, L. (2017). Your First Look at Jordan Klepper's Alex Jones‐Inspired Late‐Night Show. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/jordan‐klepper‐comedy‐central‐show‐trailer‐the‐opposition (August 23, 2017).
8 8 Bradley, “Your First Look at Jordan Klepper's Alex Jones‐Inspired Late‐Night Show.”
9 9 Wilstein, M. (2019). Jordan Klepper Loved Watching Alex Jones Admit That He's ‘Playing a Character. Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jordan‐klepper‐loved‐watching‐alex‐jones‐admit‐that‐hes‐playing‐a‐character (May 29, 2019).
10 10 Tarrant, D. (2018). Why Do People Listen to Infowars' Alex Jones At All? We Asked Them. The Dallas Morning News. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2018/08/10/why‐do‐people‐listen‐to‐infowars‐alex‐jones‐at‐all‐we‐asked‐them (August 10, 2018).
11 11 The Opposition, September 25, 2017.
12 12 Strong, S. and Schapiro, R. (2009). Missing Link Found? Scientists Unveil Fossil of 47‐Million‐Year‐Old Primate, Darwinius Masillae. New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/05/19/2009‐05‐19_missing_link_found_fossil_of_47_millionyearold_primate_sheds_light_on_.html (May 19, 2009).
13 13 The Colbert Report, May 21, 2009.
14 14 Colbert, S. (2007). I Am America (And So Can You!) . New York: Grand Central Publishing.
15 15 Of course, you can find philosophers who disagree about whether there are facts about the taste of Baconnaise and whether Colbert is funny. If they are right, my point is all the stronger – for even these things are not relative.
16 16 The Colbert Report, October 26, 2005.
17 17 In case you think there is a universal truth in this matter, keep in mind that “love marriages” end in divorce more often than “arranged marriages.” Of course, this might be due to social pressures instead of marital bliss – such things are hard to tell. But that one kind of marriage is more moral than another is far from clear.
18 18 The Colbert Report, April 27, 2009.
