Post-Truth Politics: Lessons from the Past, Options for the Future

PolitiFact has found that about 70 percent of Donald Trump’s ‘factual’ statements during his run for office actually fell into the categories of false and completely untrue statements. Studies conducted on Brexit and the Freedom Party of Austria campaigns showed similar results. Building on this sort of data, a growing number of scholars and media have announced the ‘dead of political honesty’ and the dawn of a ‘Post-Truth Era’; a new phase in which ‘truth is not falsified, or contested, but of secondary importance’, and debates are framed largely by appeals to emotion disconnected from verifiable facts. The notion of ‘post-truth’ has become a commonplace in political op-eds and newspapers’ headlines, with a documented usage increased by 2,000% in 2016 compared to 2015. But despite this media enthusiasm, the Post-Truth narrative presents a number of flaws and misconceptions that can lead us to the wrong understanding of current situation. The first part of this Paper will provide a brief historical introduction to the matter. It will analyse the role played by lies and biases in Western politics since the birth of modern states, and it will examine the theories of intellectuals such as Plato, Machiavelli, Rousseau and Arendt, which are essential to understand the present state of mind. The second part of the Paper will address some of the changes brought by the 21st century: from the multiplier and self reinforcing effect of the digital media and social networks, to the often overlooked multiplication of truths driven by postmodernity. My main point is that is wrong to claim that for today voters ‘truth have become irrelevant’ or ‘of secondary importance’ (The Economist). There is not empirical evidence to support this perception. Truth is still essential. The problem is that it is not singular anymore; it has multiplied, while the ability of citizens to detect false news and confront opposing views has been drastically reduced. In the third part of the Paper I will suggest some of possible measures to counter the spread of Post-Truth politics. Among others: the reconstruction of the old gatekeepers (academia, media, public institutions), the strengthening of critical thinking in our educational systems, and a change in the way in which politicians and experts communicate with the public. I believe that these measures, and not new Facebook algorithms, are the best way to reduce the pollution of the information stream, stop the current rise of populisms and avoid further turmoil.