Conflation is the mingling or merging of two or more different concepts to come up with another idea altogether.
When you combine two ideas to come up with something that improves understanding, conflation is benign.
When used in the context of advocacy, however, conflation can be malignant because the intention is to sow confusion, discredit an individual or perpetrate a conspiracy.
We believe what we want to believe; what we are conditioned to believe. The words of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan — “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts” — ring hollow today.
The challenge for anyone in leadership today is to challenge the veracity of what they hear by immersing themselves in a diversity of thought so they come to hear ideas other than their own.
In turn, they may come to conclusions that are based upon solid reasoning drawn from proven sources of information.
Big order, yes, but a challenge every leader can embrace. Our times demand it.