Useful Lies and Our Uneasy Grasp of the Truth

In this episode of the M3 Bearcast, host Malcolm Travers asks a deceptively simple question: Is truth always worth believing? — and discovers the answer is messier than it looks. Inspired by a TikTok deep-thinker’s take on conspiracy culture, Malcolm flips the usual inquiry (“Why do people swallow obvious falsehoods?”) into its mirror image: Why do most of us cling to truths at all, when well-placed fictions can be far more useful?Optical illusions set the stage. “The Dress” and a sneaky rotating-window trick show how our brains gladly trade accuracy for survival-ready shortcuts, heightening contrast or inventing 3-D depth when it counts. The same mental sleight-of-hand, Malcolm argues, fuels patriotism, religion, and conspiracy lore: myths that bind armies, comfort families, or make political chaos feel tidy. He revisits personal rabbit holes—from theories about MLK’s assassination to 9/11 plots—and admits that community, not evidence, often decides which stories stick.Rather than shaming believers, Malcolm calls for curiosity: What purpose does a given myth serve? Until society offers sturdier safety nets and meaning-making tools, he suggests, illusions—like ghost stories reshaped by early film—will keep proving their pragmatic worth. The episode ends with a nod to listeners: rate, share, and, if the spirit moves you, support Male Media Mind on Patreon.