Frances Porretto has an interesting post regarding the Old Media, and in it he mentions Eric Hoffer’s “True Believer” and the concept of a “fact proof screen”. It’s something you see everyday; a person so tied to their own beliefs that they are unwilling to accept any evidence whatsoever to the contrary.

I can talk about this forever, about how those who erect those screens, close their minds, have ceased to be of any value to the race. The ability to learn, to reassess your view of the world and your place in it by adjusting to the constant stream of incoming data, is what separates homo sapiens, maybe, from homo sentiens; thinking man, if you will. That would be pretty much bullshit, though. Go read what Francis has to say, it’s so much clearer.