The Post-truth Society.

Essays | Frank Yang | April 17th, 2022.

Whether it be editorialized news or social media, society has shifted to where the real, objective, definable truths are being lost in favor of subjective truths based on emotional appeals, even when the subjective “truths” aren't actually true. This concept is called the post-truth society. French philosopher Alexandre Koyré tells us that, “the grosser, the bigger, the cruder the lie, the more readily is it believed and followed.”

Our drive toward a post-truth world is caused by our willingness to trust and our ideals.

First, we have a tendency to trust – to assume that what we listen to is always the truth. British philosopher Paul Grice developed the cooperative principle with his four Maxims of Conversation, general suggestions on how to talk to other people. In the second maxim, Grice explains, “I expect your contributions to be genuine and not spurious.” In normal circumstances, we trust that what the other person is saying is truthful. This lowered guard against deception, however, can easily lead post-truth to grow, allowing misinformation to run rampant.

Second, our ideals are what cause us to accept the post-truth society. Professor John Keane from the University of Sydney tells us that “Democracy is a living reminder that truths are never self-evident, and that what counts as truth is a matter of interpretation.” Democracy allows all voices to be heard and with so many diverse opinions, post-truthism is fully actualized, as people keep pushing for their own, emotion-ridden truths rather than the objective truth.

Our post-truth society is harming us as we become easier to manipulate via fake news and power abuse.

First, we are more easily manipulated. Today, we witness powerful individuals essentially taking control of our lives using misinformation and lies. Ryan Holiday wrote a book titled Trust Me, I’m Lying, where he described how as a media strategist for many big-name companies, he exploited the trust and beliefs of customers to spread misinformation and falsehoods for his clients’ profit. Not only do we see this becoming more and more prevalent in public figures’ schemes and actions, we, ourselves, are becoming more and more susceptible to them, furthering this exploitation.

Second, we are subjects of power abuse. We know that Biden won the 2020 election as a fact. Still, so many people believe that Trump actually won. Exploiting the shift towards post-truth can allow individuals or groups to garner power in unprecedented ways. And indeed, the Trump Administration was able to establish a base within so many people to believe that they really did win the election. Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen tells us about the similarities between Trump and Putin, saying, “Both habitually lie to assert power and obfuscate when questioned,” and that “They create this unmanageable volume of falsehood.” This allowed both administrations to rise to an insane level of power, garnering an incredibly supportive base, and essentially altering politics. 

So what can we do? 

First, we can maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. College of Charleston assistant professor Ian O’Byrne urges us “to think critically as [we] engage with new content, ideas, or perspectives.” On the other hand, however, always criticizing others’ opinions isn’t a great way to go about life either. There must be a balance between being skeptical and keeping an open mind. Professor John Keane tells us that “Truth has a controversial history; truth has never straightforwardly been the truth.” Balancing between being skeptical of one’s dubious words, while also being open-minded about another’s personal values, is integral to a society where post-truthism no longer dominates our worldview.