Article Title: What we talk about when we talk about post-truth
Article Summary
In this article, the writer talks about post-truth. He starts off with three groups: the flat earth theorist, anti-vaxxers and the pizzagate-believers. He is analysing the structure of their argument, how they ask people not to uncritically trust anything on the internet and question the credibility of the facts that don’t agree with their stand by calling them fake news. The writer also compares facts and beliefs, how our beliefs are shaped and how we maintain consistency once our beliefs are questioned by facts.
He describes the process we go through to restore consistency and how it is in our hands to decide the fate of our beliefs, he gives the example of “Show BoB the Curve Campaign”. The writer highlights the significance of trust to ensure the validity of facts and he focuses on how the flat earth theorists don’t trust the evidence provided by the sources of the past. In the article, the writer also analyses the impact that post truth has, how we are forced to choose sides and how the battle becomes not about facts any more but about separate realities. He highlights that as the authorities in power change, so do the beliefs and hence those who are guarantors of truth they come under scrutiny and he ends it by saying that to combat this, the change has to be based on agreement.
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Words to learn from this Article:
Dummy: an object designed to resemble and serve as a substitute for the real or usual one.
Proponents: a person who advocates a theory, proposal, or course of action.
Crusaders: a person who campaigns vigorously for political, social, or religious change; a campaigner.
Deplore: feel or express strong condemnation of (something).
Anomalous: deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.
Parsimoniously: deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.
Testimony: evidence or proof of something.
Vindicates: to show or prove to be right, reasonable, or justified.
Epistemic: relating to knowledge or to the degree of its validation.
Entails: involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.
Revisionism: the theory or practice of revising one’s attitude to a previously accepted situation or point of view.
Underscores: a line drawn under a word or phrase for emphasis; emphasize
Detractors: a person who disparages someone or something.
Spurious: not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
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