Post-truth predates 2016 with roots in cognitive bias, philosophy, and media change
Evidence
The word “post-truth” may have seen a recent uptick—as a result of Brexit and the US presidential election—but the phenomenon itself has deep roots that go back thousands of years, to the evolution of cognitive irrationalities that are shared by liberals and conservatives alike. As previously suggested, it also has roots in academic debates over the impossibility of objective truth that have been used to attack the authority of science. And all of this has been exacerbated by recent changes in the media landscape. — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 51
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to the growing literature on science denial and manufactured doubt (Oreskes, Proctor), and to the moral-panic/hype-cycle critiques of post-truth as a term. — connects to: The term post-truth entered public discourse through 2016’s Brexit and US election — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 23; Post-truth roots lie in ancient cognitive bias, academic relativism, and media change; Cognitive biases alone cannot explain post-truth without later media factors — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 95 (+5 more)
Broader Connections
- Post-truth roots lie in ancient cognitive bias, academic relativism, and media change
#corroborates(0.95) - Cognitive biases alone cannot explain post-truth without later media factors
#qualifies(0.88) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 95 - The post-truth problem’s roots trace directly to academic postmodernism
#corroborates(0.80) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 241 - Cognitive biases toward group acceptance are the precursor for post-truth
#exemplifies(0.75) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 121 - Post-truth spans a spectrum from bullshit and spin to self-deception and delusion
#expands(0.72) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 46 - Media ideology works through unspoken presumptions more than stated bias
#expands(0.72) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 766