Post-Truth – Lee McIntyre – MIT Press, 2018

What the Book Explores

In Post-Truth, Lee McIntyre, a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University, provides a comprehensive analysis of a phenomenon that has come to define contemporary public discourse. This work examines the definition of “post-truth” not as the absence of truth, but as the subordination of objective facts to political and ideological interests. The author explores the idea that post-truth is a form of ideological supremacy, where the goal is to compel belief regardless of evidence.

The Definition of Post-Truth

The work begins by clarifying what post-truth is and, crucially, what it is not. The author explores the distinction between a simple lie and the post-truth condition. While a liar acknowledges the existence of truth by attempting to hide it, the post-truth actor attempts to delegitimize the very concept of objective reality. This work examines how this transition represents a shift from “persuading someone of a lie” to “creating a reality” where truth is no longer the primary arbiter of social or political validity.

Cognitive Foundations and Human Perception

A significant portion of the work investigates the psychological roots of our susceptibility to post-truth narratives. The author explores cognitive biases such as confirmation bias—the tendency to seek out information that reinforces existing beliefs—and the backfire effect, where being presented with contradictory evidence actually strengthens a person’s original conviction. This work examines the evolutionary origins of these traits, investigating how human perception and cognition are often optimized for social cohesion and group survival rather than the disinterested pursuit of objective facts. The author explores how these innate vulnerabilities are exploited in the modern information environment.

The Evolution of Media and the Decline of Gatekeeping

The work explores the systemic changes in how information is produced and consumed. This work examines the decline of traditional news media and the rise of social media echo chambers, where algorithmic filtering ensures that individuals are rarely exposed to challenging viewpoints. The author explores the “fracturing” of the media landscape, investigating how the loss of shared, trusted sources of information has made it possible for alternative realities to take root and flourish. This work examines how the commercial incentives of the attention economy often prioritize engagement and outrage over accuracy and nuance.

Historical Precedents and the Manufacturing of Doubt

McIntyre explores the historical lineage of post-truth, investigating the strategies developed by the tobacco industry in the mid-20th century to manufacture doubt about the link between smoking and cancer. This work examines how these tactics were later refined by climate change deniers and other interest groups. The author explores the concept of “agnotology” (the study of manufactured ignorance) and investigates how the deliberate sowing of uncertainty can effectively paralyze public policy and scientific consensus even when the facts are clear.

The Role of Postmodernism

One of the more provocative themes the author explores is the unintended influence of postmodernist philosophy. The work examines how academic theories regarding the social construction of knowledge and the subjectivity of truth were co-opted by political actors. The author explores how the argument that “there is no objective truth, only perspectives” provided a pseudo-intellectual framework for those wishing to dismiss inconvenient scientific or historical data as mere “opinion.” This work investigates the irony of how a set of tools originally designed to challenge power became a weapon in the hands of the powerful.

Historical / Cultural Context

Published in 2018 as part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Post-Truth was written in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit referendum. These events prompted the Oxford Dictionaries to name “post-truth” as the word of the year in 2016. The work matters because it provided one of the first rigorous philosophical and historical frameworks for understanding the rapid erosion of institutional trust in the 21st century.

The historical context of the work is also defined by the broader “Information Age” and the digital revolution. McIntyre explores the paradox that while we have more access to information than any previous generation, we seem to be increasingly susceptible to disinformation. The work matters as a reflection on the fragility of democratic institutions when they are deprived of a shared factual basis for deliberation. It stands as a critical contemporary document that attempts to map the landscape of a society where the boundaries between fact, opinion, and fiction have become dangerously blurred.

Who This Book Is For

This work is intended for a broad audience seeking to understand the mechanics of the modern information crisis. It is particularly relevant for:

Students of Philosophy and Political Science: Those interested in the relationship between truth, power, and the health of democratic institutions.
Media Literacy Educators: Individuals seeking a structured way to teach the history and psychology of disinformation.
Psychologists and Sociologists: Readers researching the cognitive biases and social structures that facilitate the spread of alternative realities.
General Readers: Anyone concerned with the current state of public discourse and looking for a scholarly but accessible guide to navigating a world of “alternative facts.”