Openly subordinating facts to feelings is a new strategy for political dominance

Evidence

To say that facts are less important than feelings in shaping our beliefs about empirical matters seems new, at least in American politics. In the past we have faced serious challenges—even to the notion of truth itself—but never before have such challenges been so openly embraced as a strategy for the political subordination of reality. Thus what is striking about the idea of post-truth is not just that truth is being challenged, but that it is being challenged as a mechanism for asserting political dominance. — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 16

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes post-truth from mere propaganda or falsehood by its open embrace as a mechanism of political dominance.
• XREF: connects to: Fact-challenging arises from motive to protect beliefs and enables political domination — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 49; A crucial rhetorical shift produces a new political narrative — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 134; Heightened political emotions can be captured by party cartels — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization…, 27

Broader Connections

• Fact-challenging arises from motive to protect beliefs and enables political domination #corroborates (0.85) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 49
• A crucial rhetorical shift produces a new political narrative #corroborates (0.80) — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 134
• Heightened political emotions can be captured by party cartels #complicates (0.72) — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics, 27