Post-Truth

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Post-Truth by Lee McIntyre, The MIT Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lee McIntyre ISBN: 9780262345989
Publisher: The MIT Press Publication: February 9, 2018
Imprint: The MIT Press Language: English
Author: Lee McIntyre
ISBN: 9780262345989
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication: February 9, 2018
Imprint: The MIT Press
Language: English

How we arrived in a post-truth era, when “alternative facts” replace actual facts, and feelings have more weight than evidence.

Are we living in a post-truth world, where “alternative facts” replace actual facts and feelings have more weight than evidence? How did we get here? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Lee McIntyre traces the development of the post-truth phenomenon from science denial through the rise of “fake news,” from our psychological blind spots to the public's retreat into “information silos.”

What, exactly, is post-truth? Is it wishful thinking, political spin, mass delusion, bold-faced lying? McIntyre analyzes recent examples—claims about inauguration crowd size, crime statistics, and the popular vote—and finds that post-truth is an assertion of ideological supremacy by which its practitioners try to compel someone to believe something regardless of the evidence. Yet post-truth didn't begin with the 2016 election; the denial of scientific facts about smoking, evolution, vaccines, and climate change offers a road map for more widespread fact denial. Add to this the wired-in cognitive biases that make us feel that our conclusions are based on good reasoning even when they are not, the decline of traditional media and the rise of social media, and the emergence of fake news as a political tool, and we have the ideal conditions for post-truth. McIntyre also argues provocatively that the right wing borrowed from postmodernism—specifically, the idea that there is no such thing as objective truth—in its attacks on science and facts.

McIntyre argues that we can fight post-truth, and that the first step in fighting post-truth is to understand it.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How we arrived in a post-truth era, when “alternative facts” replace actual facts, and feelings have more weight than evidence.

Are we living in a post-truth world, where “alternative facts” replace actual facts and feelings have more weight than evidence? How did we get here? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Lee McIntyre traces the development of the post-truth phenomenon from science denial through the rise of “fake news,” from our psychological blind spots to the public's retreat into “information silos.”

What, exactly, is post-truth? Is it wishful thinking, political spin, mass delusion, bold-faced lying? McIntyre analyzes recent examples—claims about inauguration crowd size, crime statistics, and the popular vote—and finds that post-truth is an assertion of ideological supremacy by which its practitioners try to compel someone to believe something regardless of the evidence. Yet post-truth didn't begin with the 2016 election; the denial of scientific facts about smoking, evolution, vaccines, and climate change offers a road map for more widespread fact denial. Add to this the wired-in cognitive biases that make us feel that our conclusions are based on good reasoning even when they are not, the decline of traditional media and the rise of social media, and the emergence of fake news as a political tool, and we have the ideal conditions for post-truth. McIntyre also argues provocatively that the right wing borrowed from postmodernism—specifically, the idea that there is no such thing as objective truth—in its attacks on science and facts.

McIntyre argues that we can fight post-truth, and that the first step in fighting post-truth is to understand it.

More books from The MIT Press

Cover of the book The Shape of Actions by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Designing an Internet by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Frankenstein by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Inconsistencies by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Humanity's End by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Authors, Users, and Pirates by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book The End of Ownership by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Synthetic Biology and Morality by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Good Reception by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Sustainable Urban Metabolism by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Self-Tracking by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book The Regulation of International Trade by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Traversing Digital Babel by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Earth System Governance by Lee McIntyre
Cover of the book Spontaneous Venturing by Lee McIntyre
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy