A shared conclusion is easier to trust when different routes actually lead to it.

Agreement is only evidence when it was reached independently. Ten people who read the same article and now hold the same view have not confirmed anything; they have copied one source between them. What carries weight is arriving at the same place from different data, different methods, different starting positions. Consensus built on a single origin looks identical to real convergence from the outside.

When you notice everyone around you agreeing, ask where each of them got it. Look for one source that reached the conclusion by another road entirely.