Living in an age of lies
Book review: Post-TruthAn overly optimistic hope on the reassertion of good government.
Post-Truth:Why We Have Reached Peak Bullshit and What We Can Do About Itby Evan DavisLittle, Brown, £20(Buy at Amazon)
We live in an age where information is more accessible than ever.But instead of making us wiser, this seems to be making us more susceptible to misinformation, bias and downright lies. Take Donald Trump, who is able to get away with saying anything, no matter how false.
Still, this book isn't just about Trump. "Although the orange panther stalks his pages", BBC journalist Davis tackles the topic "by largely eschewing politics", says Nick Cohen in The Observer. "His care and his determination to make complicated ideas accessible show, above all, why he is such a good broadcaster." Yet his verdict that "good government will reassert itself and all will be well" may be too optimistic.
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Davis also forgets that exaggerated claims in politics are not new, even from respected figures: "Churchill in June 1945 predicted that nice Mr Attlee would have to resort to Gestapo' methods", says David Goodhart in the Evening Standard. And he also misses a bigger point. "The old elite filters have been bypassed and the masses, warts and all, are having their say."
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