It is convenient for us to blame Trump-style populism for the noisy post-truth[1] era we now need to navigate. However, we’ve also learnt that it’s not particularly constructive to view this phenomenon simply as the interplay of lying politicians and a gullible populace.
Through the way we relate to, participate in and are influenced by the post-truth environment, have we been complicit in creating and normalising it? What role(s) have we personally played in the ascendancy of the post-truth era and what do we do about it?
Background reading/listening:
1. This article suggests we do our homework on the origins of the post-truth era https://theconversation.com/the-surprising-origins-of-post-truth-and-how-it-was-spawned-by-the-liberal-left-68929 (7 min read)
2. If the post-truth construction is ‘elitist and obnoxious’, as this article suggests, are we (by persisting with this language) inadvertently deepening the divide between the conservative right and the progressive left?
https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2016/sep/19/the-idea-post-truth-society-elitist-obnoxious (5 min read)
3. Our inherent confirmation bias is further narrowing the way we seek out, consume and share news: https://www.npr.org/2017/01/28/512199352/confirmation-bias (4 min audio clip)
[1] For the purpose of this discussion, we will use philosopher Kathleen Higgins’ explanation of post-truth:
“Post-truth refers to blatant lies being routine across society, and it means that politicians can lie without condemnation. This is different from the cliché that all politicians lie and make promises they have no intention of keeping — this still expects honesty to be the default position. In a post-truth world, this expectation no longer holds.”
Kathleen’s full article is available here: https://www.nature.com/news/post-truth-a-guide-for-the-perplexed-1.21054 (5 min read)
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A&S Bücherland have kindly agreed to host this meetup. Attendees are encouraged to make a 5€ contribution to assist with the venue’s running costs. Additionally, the venue has tea and coffee facilities and a selection of drinks are also available for us to purchase.