Part IV: Are We Living In A Post-Truth World? | On Point - WBUR

And to say that we live in a post-truth era doesn't mean that truth doesn't matter anymore, or that no one cares about truth. It means that we ... SkiptomaincontentSupportWBUR.DonateTodayOurcoveragereliesonyourfinancialsupport.DonateNowWBUROnPointLISTENLIVE:BBCNewsdayDONATEWBUROnPointLISTENLIVE:BBCNewsdayDONATEOnPointAboutWaysToListenMeetTheStaffPastShowsAdvertisement AmisinformationnewsstandisseeninmidtownManhattanonOctober30,2018,aimingtoeducatenewsconsumersaboutthedangersofdisinformation,orfakenews,inthelead-uptotheU.S.midtermelections.Thefirst-of-its-kindnewsstandwassetupbytheColumbiaJournalismReview.(ANGELAWEISS/AFPviaGettyImages)Thisarticleismorethan1yearold.Thisseriesisproducedincollaborationwith TheConversation. Fromanendlessstreamofpoliticalmisinformationtoinescapableliesonsocialmedia,arewelivinginapost-truthworld?GuestsLeeMcIntyre,fellowatBostonUniversity'sCenterforPhilosophyandHistoryofScience.Authorof"Post-Truth."(@LeeCMcIntyre)Christopher Beem,managingdirectoroftheMcCourtneyInstituteforDemocracyatPennStateUniversity.(@McCourtneyInst)InterviewHighlightsWhenwesaypost-truth,whatdoyouthinkthatmeans?LeeMcIntyre:“It’seasytohaveamisconceptionaboutwhatpost-truthmeans.Andtosaythatweliveinapost-trutheradoesn'tmeanthattruthdoesn'tmatteranymore,orthatnoonecaresabouttruth.Itmeansthatweliveinanerawheretruthisatrisk,wherewe'reindangeroflosingsightofwhattruthmeans.Inmybook,Idefinepost-truthasthepoliticalsubordinationofreality.SoIthinkofpost-truthasatacticthat'susedbyauthoritariansandtheirwannabestocontroltheflowofinformationsothattheycanthencontrolthepopulace.It'sintendednotjusttocorruptourbeliefinsomespecificthingthat'strue,butreallytounderminetheideathatwecanknowtruthoutsideofpoliticalcontext.”"Ithinkofpost-truthasatacticthat'susedbyauthoritariansandtheirwannabestocontroltheflowofinformationsothattheycanthencontrolthepopulace."LeeMcIntyreWhat'sdifferentnow?LeeMcIntyre:“It'sagreatquestion,becausetherootsofthishavebeenaroundforever.Politicianshavelied.Therehavebeen,youknow,enormouslies,enormouspoliticalsubordinationofreality,ifyouwill:theHolocaust,Americanslavery.Imean,youjustgobackinhistory.It'salwaysexisted.What'sdifferentnow?AndIthinkthereasonthattheOxfordDictionarynamed‘post-truth’theirwordoftheyearin2016,isthatthisseemsnewinthefollowingsense."Theextremepoliticalpartisanship,marriedtothesocialmedia,marriedtohowquicklymisinformationanddisinformationcangetoutthere,Ithinkmakesthissortofauniquechallengeofourtime.It'ssortofapandemic,ifyouwill,ofdisinformationandmisinformationthatisnew.Somaybethe…rootsthatIexploreinthebook‘Post-Truth’havebeenthereforalongtime.Butwe'renowfacingsomethingthatIthinkisauniquethreat.Andit'snew,atleastintheAmericanexperiment.Hereweare."Whatcanwedotofixapost-truthsociety?Christopher Beem:“Well,youknow,democracyishard.Itrequiresthingsofyouthatareunnatural.Itrequiresyoutobepassionateandyettemperate.Itrequiresyoutoaccepttheideathatthispersonwithwhomyoudisagreevehementlyhasasmuchrighttotheiropinion,andasmuchrighttoexpressitasyoudo.Andtheotherthingitrequiresofyouisacommitmenttoreflectyourperspectivesaccurately,honestly.Anditmeanshearingthingsorbeingconcernedabouttheworldasitis,ratherthantheworldasyouwantittobe.Noneofthesethingsareeasy."AndtheonlythingIcantellyouisthatinademocracy,weareallresponsible.Weareallsovereign.It'snotanyoneperson'sjobtorunit.It'sallofours.Andsothatmeanswealljusthavetocommittosomethingsthatarehard.Andthetruthishard.Ourbiasespushusindirectionsthatmakeusdisinclinedtolistentothingswedon'tagreewith;thethingswedon'tlike.Andsoit'sonlythroughakindofpersonalcommitmenttothetruththatanyofthiscanbeundone.Andthere'ssomanythingspushingustheotherwayrightnow.”"Inademocracy,weareallresponsible.Weareallsovereign.It'snotanyoneperson'sjobtorunit.It'sallofours.Andsothatmeanswealljusthavetocommittosomethingsthatarehard.Andthetruthishard."ChristopherBeemHowdowemakeourdemocracyworknow? Christopher Beem:“Well,Iactuallylistentoalotofmystudentsaskthesamething.And...IdidaTEDTalkwhereIsaidoneofthingsweneedtodoistojoinsomething.Notpolitical,butjustanythingthatbringspeopletogetherinserviceofsomecommoninterests,somecommonobjective.SoIsaid,youknow,‘Listen,ifyou'reaPennStatestudent,ifyouwanttodoultimateor,youknow,IheardthatPennStatehasabeekeepingclub.Itdoesn'tmatter.Ifyougettogetherwithpeoplewhoaredifferentfromyouandyoudon'tinteractwiththemintermsofsomekindof,youknow,thisismynameonlineandwherethere'snoaccountability,butyouactuallyinteractwithpeoplefacetoface,itismucheasiertocometounderstandthatwe'reverysimilar.Intermsofwhatourobjectivesareforourselvesandourfamilyandwhatwewantoutoftheworld.'"Andit'smuchhardertohateeachother,right?Becauseyoucometoseethispersonasbeingjustlikeyou...feetofclay,doingthebesttheycanandnotwanttohurtanybody.AndsoIthinkthatisonewayout:istofindthoseopportunities.They’reoutthere.Andmycolleagueisinacommunityband.And,youknow,shesays,‘Well,wejustdon'ttalkabout.’But,youknow,‘Iknowthatifsomethinghappens,there'sgoingtobe20hotdishes.’Youknow,therewillbefood.Sothat'soneplacetostart.Isjusttokindofconnectwithpeopleoutsideofpolitics.”FromTheReadingListExcerptfrom"Post-Truth"byLeeMcIntyreExcerptedfrom"Post-Truth."Copyright ©2018byLeeMcIntyre.ExcerptedwithpermissionfromMITPress,inCambridge,Massachusetts.Nopartofthisexcerptmaybereproducedorreprintedwithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.TheConversation:"Lies,damnliesandpost-truth"—"Evenifwecouldfindsomeisolatedexampleofapoliticianwhowasscrupulouslyhonest–formerPresidentJimmyCarter,perhaps–thequestionishowtothinkabouttherestofthem.Andifmostpoliticianslie,thenwhyaresomeAmericanssohardonPresidentDonaldTrump?"AccordingtoTheWashingtonPost,Trumphastold6,420liessofarinhispresidency.Inthesevenweeksleadinguptothemidterms,hisrateincreasedto30perday.That’salot,butisn’tthisadifferenceindegreeandnotadifferenceinkindwithotherpoliticians?"Frommyperspectiveasaphilosopherwhostudiestruthandbelief,itdoesn’tseemso.Andevenifmostpoliticianslie,thatdoesn’tmakealllyingequal.YetthedifferenceinTrump’sprevaricationseemstobefoundnotinthequantityorenormityofhislies,butinthewaythatTrumpuseshisliesinservicetoaproto-authoritarianpoliticalideology."TheConversation:"'Istruthoverrated?'Whattheexpertssay"—"Lastmonth,TheWashingtonPost’sFactCheckerpublishedanupdatedaccountingofallthefalseandmisleadingclaimsmadebyPresidentDonaldTrumpsinceheassumedoffice:1,057:anaverageoffiveperday."Thatis,tobesure,abignumber.Butdoesitreallymatter?GeorgeOrwellfamouslysaid,'politicallanguage…isdesignedtomakeliessoundtruthfulandmurderrespectable.'Orwellspeaksformostofus:Tobeapoliticianistolie.Andthereforemanywillask:Fivetimesaday,or25–Whatdifference,really,doesitmake?"HannahArendtwasapoliticalphilosopherandaJewwhoescapedHitler’sGermanyandsettledinNewYork.Inheressay,'TruthandPolitics,'sheaskedthisveryquestion.Shearguedthatdemocraticsocietyrequiresthatweagreeontwothings.First,thattherearesuchthingsasfacts.Andsecond,thatweshouldstrivetopresentthosefactsasbestweunderstandthem.Inotherwords,weshouldtrytotellthetruth."Why?Becausethemoreapolitician–likethepresident,forexample–failstoliveuptotheseagreements,themoredifficultitbecomesfortherestofustoagreewith,disputeorevenassesswhathesays.Whenthishappens,debatebecomesincreasinglypointless.Andatsomepoint,democracyitselfisimperiled."ThisprogramairedonFebruary27,2020.PartI:TheHistoryOfHowWeThinkAboutTruthPartII:TheScienceBehindHowWePerceiveTruthPartIII:HowThePowerfulManipulateTruthHilaryMcQuilkinProducer,OnPointHilaryMcQuilkinisaproducerforOnPoint.More…MeghnaChakrabartiTwitterHost,OnPointMeghnaChakrabartiisthehostofOnPoint.More…Advertisement Advertisement PlayListenLiveBBCNewsday/00:00Close