The Death of Truth

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From a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic comes an impassioned critique of the West's retreat from reason. The first great book of the Trump Administration, it is essential reading. We live in a time when the very idea of objective truth is mocked and discounted by the US President. Discredited conspiracy theories resurface, proven science faces debate, and propaganda floods our screens. The wisdom of the crowd has usurped research and expertise, leaving us clinging to beliefs that confirm our biases. How did truth become an endangered species? This decline began decades ago, and the author takes a penetrating look at the cultural forces contributing to this storm. In social media, literature, television, academia, and political campaigns, trends from both the right and left have elevated subjectivity over factuality, science, and common values. The work of great critics of authoritarianism, like George Orwell and Hannah Arendt, is newly relevant. With remarkable erudition and insight, the author offers a provocative diagnosis of our current condition and presents a path forward for our truth-challenged times.