Maybe most people have already twigged this, but the BBC programme ‘The Capture’ has made me realise that we can no longer rely on videos for the truth. It illustrates how live camera feeds can be altered – dramatically. I believe sophisticated and moneyed organisations can do this today; and I think it will become easier as time goes by.

So, to add to the possibility of text being untrue, and of people’s accounts and memories being untrue, and of photos being faked, we must add that videos may be false. Is there anything left – well perhaps just our own internal thoughts and memories, but no doubt our race will get to manipulating those too.

So, I guess, we are back to a great truth that our enquirers and thinkers have known for hundreds of years: there is no substitute for diligence and multiplicity in our search for what is and what has been. Our modern technology has made us slack and gullible and persuaded us that we can nail down reality. In fact, reality has to be carefully investigated and checked and rechecked, and then still considered with a critical eye as we use it generously to develop our understanding and knowledge.