Facts come to the rescue in the age of gaslighting

Distressing world events and the reactive media conversation may have you feeling cynical these days. Or you may prefer what comfort can be found in a more stoic attitude.

Either way, the names of those philosophical reactions date to the age of the ancient Greek philosophers, including one named Diogenes. He died in 323 BCE, and his name remains associated with the Cynics and the Stoics as well. Yet his name survives to our time mostly because legend says he walked the Earth in search of an honest man.

You may have seen him on this hunt, rendered by classical sculptors or more likely caricatured by contemporary cartoonists. He usually has a long beard and a lamp he holds up high as he peers into the murky darkness. In either guise, he has long symbolized the endless search for truth.

In our time, that search is as complicated as ever. Even the idea of truth is disputed; we say the word aloud and add air quotes, or