21 August

Germaine Greer, as an example of a truth-teller. You can always tell a truth-teller because: 1) what they say doesn’t support any ‘side’ in a debate 2) what they say will reframe a problem in ways that are totally surprising 3) they’ll be very rare and almost completely ignored, or even hated by both sides of debates, and 4) they’ll force you to rethink everything you believe you know about something, rather than give your emotions the righteous kick they’re after. Why would we think the truth on really complex questions would be something we already know and feel? Because I think, when it comes to thinking, we're lazy. If we want to run a marathon, we train. But for complex questions, we assume our existing opinion is fine, no research or hard work needed.