Can we save Truth?
Ever since Trump came on the political stage I've been puzzled at how many people don't seem troubled, or at least not terminally troubled, by his lies. Daniel Effron, in a NYT opinion piece, has proposed something that rings true to me. How about the rest of you? Please, not "They're just stupid. They're just evil." I'm interested in some thoughtful analysis. See the second quote below for why this is so, so, seriously important.
Wittingly or not, Mr. Trumps representatives have used a subtle psychological strategy to defend his falsehoods: They encourage people to reflect on how the falsehoods could have been true.
New research of mine suggests that this strategy can convince supporters that its not all that unethical for a political leader to tell a falsehood even though the supporters are fully aware the claim is false.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/28/opinion/sunday/why-trump-supporters-dont-mind-his-lies.html
The historian Timothy Snyder stresses the importance of reality and truth in his cautionary pamphlet, On Tyranny. To abandon facts, he writes, is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so. He then chillingly observes, Post-truth is pre-fascism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/28/opinion/sunday/the-end-of-intelligence.html