A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth. Authoritarian institutions and marketers have always known this fact.
Interpretation
Frequent repetition of a falsehood can lead people to believe it is true due to its familiarity.
This quote emphasizes how the human mind often conflates familiarity with truth. Daniel Kahneman highlights the psychological tendency to accept repeated statements as valid, which is a tactic utilized by both authoritarian regimes and marketers to shape beliefs and opinions, ultimately suggesting a critical awareness of the information we consume is essential.
In practice
In a debate about misinformation, one could use this quote to highlight the dangers of repeated falsehoods.
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If it's true that every seven years each cell in your body dies and is replaced, then I have truly inherited my life from a dead man; and the misdeeds of those times have been forgiven, and are buried with his bones.
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Let him who wants a true church cling to the Word by which everything is upheld.
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