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1-Page Summary of The Death of Truth

Overview

Do you feel like the world is going crazy? That’s not a new feeling. In fact, it was Philip Roth who said that the truth is stranger than fiction in 1961. Michiko Kakutani compiled quotes from famous writers to show how we got into this “post-truth” era of fake news and alternative facts. She cites George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Victor Klemperer, Robert Heinlein and Neil Postman as examples of writers who predicted what would happen when politicians denied proven facts or twisted them for their own gain.

You’ll learn about the Internet Research Agency, which is a Russian troll farm. You’ll also find out what Donald Trump thinks of an article he read on Twitter and how the Know Nothing Party was responsible for his win in 2016.

Big Idea #1: There has always been opposition to reason and progress, but it went mainstream in 2017.

The United States was founded on a set of principles, some of which were drawn from the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment emphasized reason, liberty, progress and religious tolerance. However, there have always been people who opposed these principles in America.

In 1839, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech about the importance of reason in keeping tyranny at bay and preserving law. However, there was another narrative that was being kept alive by people who wanted to undermine progress. In 1855, this counter-narrative was perhaps best represented in politics by the Know Nothing Party, which opposed immigrants and Catholics. They had 43 members of Congress at that time.

Those who supported the Know Nothing candidates in 1854 were similar to those who oppose progress and reason today. They felt they had no agency, which was partly due to globalization and technology. Writers have given this movement different names over time: Philip Roth called it “the indigenous American berserk” and Richard Hofstadter called it “the paranoid style.” This counter-narrative has always been alive but never gained mainstream acceptance until recently, when it became popular again in 2017.

In 2016, Breitbart and President Trump started writing about conspiracy theories and religious intolerance.

Trump has brought in leaders who don’t agree with him to run the government agencies. For instance, Rick Perry wanted to get rid of the Department of Energy and is now running it. Scott Pruitt sued the Environmental Protection Agency multiple times and is now heading it. These are examples of how Trump’s administration is rolling back efforts that protect renewable energy and the environment.

Big Idea #2: Although there’s been a rise in information options, the internet has created dangerous filters, silos and tribes.

The way we receive information has changed a lot in the past couple of decades. It’s become more difficult to find trustworthy sources of information, and many people have started to rely on biased news outlets that support their own beliefs rather than being impartial.

In 2005, before social media took off and the right-wing news media expanded to include Breitbart and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which controls the local news programs that reach 38 percent of America.

Some people are more keen on believing in the news that fits their own bias. For example, they may ignore facts or data that goes against any of their opinions about global warming and gun violence. They tend to dismiss information from an establishment as a liberal conspiracy theory, such as the deep state.

People tend to only listen to information that confirms what they already believe. This creates a sort of filter or barrier between them and the rest of the world, which is why people in today’s society are so divided.