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Living in a post-truth world

By Jason Beale - posted Friday, 22 February 2019


  • "Power doesn't speak the truth; truth must speak to power."

Presumably this means earthly not spiritual power. But surely the initial statement of this rule is not an inviolable law? On the other hand, that 'truth must speak to power' is often a misused platitude. What about also taking part in the democratic process, assuming one lives in a free society in the West with a representative government?

  • "For a better morality we need better knowledge"
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The phrase 'better knowledge' is an ugly and misleading construction that I have seldom come across. What is it and who decides? Baggini doesn't explain. Based on his politically correct views, I assume he is referring to some kind of progressive agenda, based on something other than Western rationality and humanist values. Don't we also need less superstition and blind faith? I guess not. In his quasi-relativist philosophy these are 'enrichers' of truth or even 'separate species'. Lest we offend.

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Reference: A Short History of Truth: Consolations for a Post-Truth World (Quercus, 2017). Julian Baggini's latest book is How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy (Granta, 2018)



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Jason Beale is a Melbourne writer and artist.

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