The book Post-Truth by Lee McIntyre is a fascinating and engaging read. “Is this a post-truth globe, with ‘alternative facts’ replacing genuine facts while feelings are being taken more seriously than proof and how did the world reach here?” (McIntyre, 2018, p. 6). The author traces the evolution of post-truth from denial of science to ‘fake news’ creation, from people’s psychological blind spots to their retreat into ‘knowledge silos.’ The book examines one of today’s most troubling trends – the growing disregard for the truth, science, facts, and evidence. Lee McIntyre provides a thoughtful explanation for what has occurred and a powerful cue that people must resist this deadly nihilistic mindset collectively.
Besides, one may wonder whether mass deception, political spin, wishful thinking, and outright deception constitute post-truth. McIntyre looks at recent instances like the popular vote, crime data, and inauguration crowd size claims. He then concludes that post-truth is a claim that someone is ideologically superior, trying to convince another to believe something contrary to proof. The denial of scientific facts regarding climate change, smoking, vaccines, and evolution, on the other hand, predate the 2016 election (McIntyre, 2018). Additionally, innate cognitive subjectivity convinces individuals that their inferences are based on sound thinking, even when that is not the case. Add in traditional media’s decline, giving in to social media and fake news used as a tool in politics, and the absolute post-truth storm is obtained.
Additionally, alternative facts have exploded in people’s collective consciousness, and the book Post-Truth by Lee McIntyre is the appropriate antidote. All the people of America, including political leaders, academicians, and media houses, need to embrace the suggestions Lee McIntyre gives, which encourage all the people in the post-truth era to be responsible for their own fact-finding. McIntyre additionally surprisingly alleges that attacks on facts and science by the right-wing draw inspiration from postmodernism, particularly believing that objective truth does not exist. McIntyre suggests that people could fight against post-truth by first understanding it. The book is possibly among the most thought-provoking post-truth works, convincingly arguing that the current truth determining methods and the facts themselves are in jeopardy, this assault being particularly detrimental.
Reference
McIntyre, L. C. (2018). Post-truth. The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series.