The latin phrase “nullius in verba” means “take no one’s word for it” and is the motto of the Royal Society.
It is important that we don’t take everything we read and hear as gospel and that we verify all information. This is more vital than ever today in the current “post truth” social media age in which we live. But it is not just within the realms of social media and the free for all ocean of misinformation. Whenever we are presented with or discover new information, it is always important that we do our own research.
In a way “nullius in verba” really means “find out for yourself” or “think for yourself”. It is an antidote to groupthink and encourages us to always draw our own conclusions on something regardless of how believable and credible it may seem to us.
The problem we often have as humans is that we are prone to cognitive biases. It is sometimes too much effort to always verify something and thus we sometimes fail to heed these words. Beyond the effort part, there is also a social stigma issue. That is why groupthink is often so popular. Many people don’t want to stand out and be seen as a tall poppy. They would prefer to fit in and not rock the boat.
But taking no one’s word for something and finding out for ourselves is worth the effort. It can be a rewarding path as we discover unique truths or even secrets. This is something I touched on in an earlier post of mine entitled Just Gimme Some Secrets. In this post I explore truths that very few people agree on, whilst simultaneously unpacking truths or statements that many people believe in yet contain lots of holes. However, I certainly do not advocate contrianism willy nilly. Contrarianism can also be a cognitive bias in itself if abused. Not all universal truths are untrue!
But this is something we have to find out for ourselves.
By Nicholas Peart
4th October 2026
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