- Is it true?
- Is it relevant?
- What are its implications?
These are the basic questions we ask ourselves when assessing the value of new information. When the information comes by way of an unfamiliar source, it is perfectly rational and appropriate to question what motives may be at work.
But when speculation along the lines of "Why do they want me to believe this?" takes precedence over accurately answering the basic questions, we are starting to wander down the rabbit hole of paranoid conspiracy thinking.
