Credibility Quote by Neil Postman
““The credibility of the teller is the ultimate test of the truth of a proposition. (102)””
About This Quote
Source Book: Amusing Ourselves to Death, 1985
The teller’s credibility determines whether a proposition is accepted as true.
In simple terms: Credibility decides truth.
Key Takeaway
Assess source credibility.
Themes
critical thinking
media literacy
truth
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- news consumption
- academic research
- public discourse
Key Concepts
philosophy
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify a source’s reliability?
- What role does bias play in truth?
A Different Perspective
Even credible sources can be biased.
![“[W]hen men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe . . . that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out.” quote by Justice Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3c0/justice-holmes-251321_investing_w-hen-men-have-realized-that-time-has-up_1187787.jpg)
![“I can assure the conspiracy theorists who have very effectively savaged [Gerald] Posner in their books that they're going to have a much, much more difficult time with me. As a trial lawyer in front of a jury and an author of true-crime books, credibility has always meant everything to me. My only…” quote by Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/314/vincent-bugliosi-8709_book_i-can-assure-the-conspiracy-theorists-wh_47158.jpg)
