My Truth Is Your Truth?

In a world of knowledge bubbles and alternative facts, the nature of truth has become the subject of intense debate. How do we balance respect for different perspectives with the need for agreement that we actually all live in the same world? When does relativism support a diversity of worldviews, and when does it encourage the proliferation of harmful misinformation and divisive ideologies? How do we discern valid perspectives from manipulative falsehoods?

In this debate, we map and navigate this difficult territory. We aim to shed light on the ever-evolving nature of truth in a world where knowledge is as diverse as the people who hold it.

Debaters Team 1

Mohammad Gharesifard is an Assistant Professor, specializing in the theory and applications of citizen science and public participation processes in the fields of sustainability and environmental governance.

Wally van der Laan is the student-assessor of the Faculty of Philosophy, currently studying Medicine, Philosophy, Political Science and Economics.

Carmen van Bruggen is a PhD student in Spatial Sciences, researching the topic of community building by the use of participatory art and cultural projects.

Debaters Team 2

Leah Henderson is a Professor of Philosophy of Science and Epistemology, holding an Endowed Chair in Societal Trust.

Thomas Wilschut is a PhD student in experimental psychology, working on cognitive models that aim to capture how human learners retain and forget information over time.

Ansgard Heinrich is an Associate Professor of Journalism Studies and Media, with an interest in alternative journalism, social media and crisis reporting in the digital age.

Mindwise Debate
Mindwise Debate is a series of public debates organised by Studium Generale Groningen, Institute for Science Education and Communication and Mindwise Groningen. The debates aims to create a university-wide platform for risky and engaging dialogue on topics ranging from the role of standardisation in education systems to the nature of consciousness. The event consists of a formal debate between two teams composed of both students and staff members from UG followed by an open discussion between everyone in the audience and the debaters.

Nothing But The Truth 
This public event is organised in the run-up to a conference on Nothing But the Truth, 7-8 December 2023 at the UMCG in Groningen. It is organised by The Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN); an interfaculty organisation at the University of Groningen. The BCN community cares deeply about matters of truth in science. The conference is preceded by two other public events exploring the topic of truth. Besides ‘My truth is your truth?’, Forum & MarvelousMind will host a
documentary about the Dutch fact-checking organization Bellingcat (6 December). 

Are you not able to attend the event? Watch the livestream here: