Brave New World A series of 3 lectures

Brave New World A series of 3 lectures / discussions hosted by St Michael’s on Collins 11, 18 & 25 September 2018 Life in the Post-Truth World 11 September 2017

2 What Is Truth? Truth respects the known facts ― BUT it’s not just about “facts” In philosophy, truth is understood to be a life choice = This is the choice that Socrates’ life represents

3 What Is Truth? When we place truth in its social context – in the context of public life, then we are thinking of how society governs itself = POLITICS Politics [for Aristotle] involves organising human affairs in ways that serve the well-being of the people. A state is an association of similar persons whose aim is the best life possible. What is best is happiness, and to be happy is an active exercise of virtue and a complete employment of it. Aristotle Politics (350 BCE) Politics at the service of power + self-interest soon degenerates into intrigue, wilful manipulation of facts, deception, concealment of wrongdoing.

4 What Is Post-Truth? Post-Truth = kind of public discourse in which evidence and logical reasoning are less important than appeals to emotion and personal belief when seeking to influence public opinion. In the Post-Truth world: • Scientists and other experts are dismissed • “Alternative” facts are (often flagrantly) presented as if they were scientifically based facts • People in the public eye offer opinions on pretty much anything as if they were based on evidence • And thanks to social media, pretty much anyone can step into the public arena • Celebrity now outranks evidence and rational discourse • In what they say and do, many no longer regard themselves as

5 Does Truth Matter? Truth matters because: • Untruth debases politics • Untruth pollutes collective trust • Truth is the foundation stone of democracy • Untruth poisons love of country • Truth is First Casualty of War, even though it is in war that we most need to know the truth

Truth at a Low Ebb 6 Where is decline most evident? 2016 In the way POLICY is shaped and justified: • • Climate change Immigration Security Foreign policy In the way PARTY POLITICS is conducted the way BUSINESS is done: • Banking and financial services • Advertising In the way MEDIA evades, distorts, and trivialises In the way RELIGIOUS and other institutions cover up wrongdoing

Forms of Untruth 7 Facts are summarily dismissed as opinion or ideology While opinions are presented as if they were evidence based “facts” Science & evidence are discarded in favour of opinion or dogma – or sheer deception or self-deception – or some combination of these In the name of freedom of speech or some notion of balance or neutrality, we are asked to treat all opinions equally – whether they are based on evidence and rigorous reasoning or quackery, fraud and chicanery Governments seek the advice of experts, establish inquiries and

8 Instruments of Untruth Political spin – advertising techniques Bread & Circuses – rise of celebrity politician Endless repetition of lie Exploiting fears and uncertainties Use of social media manipulation

9 Underlying Currents Political Culture Politics as advertising Money politics • Political donations • Lobbying • Politics of blackmail • Media orchestrated campaigns

10 Underlying Currents Globalisation Cross-border flows Erosion of sovereign borders Decline of national control / regulation

11 Underlying Currents Ascendancy of neo-liberal order Ø Its anonymity is both a symptom and cause of its power. It has played a major role in a remarkable variety of crises: the financial meltdown of 2007‑ 8, the offshoring of wealth and power, of which the Panama Papers offer us merely a glimpse, the slow collapse of public health and education, resurgent child poverty, the epidemic of loneliness, the collapse of ecosystems, the rise of Donald Trump. . . these crises. . . have all been either catalysed or exacerbated by the same coherent philosophy; a philosophy that has – or had – a name. What greater power can there be than to operate namelessly?

Underlying Currents 12 Security State Scale & reach • Australia’s military budget: $36. 4 billion • National security budget: $4. 1 billion (ASIO, cyber security, border security) million ASIO’s new head office – Cost: $700 Military alliances US Military Spending Military procurements Intelligence connections

13 Resources Joseph Camilleri’s website www. josephcamilleri. org Nick Enfield, ‘We're in a post-truth world with eroding trust and accountability. It can't end well’, The Guardian, 17 November 2017 Art, Truth and Politics’, Harold Pinter’s Nobel Lecture 7 December 2005 Video Text Allan Patience, Australian Foreign Policy in Asia: Middle Power or Awkward Partner? https: //www. palgrave. com/gp/book/9783319693460 ‘Ain’t it the post-truth’, University of Sydney, 4 October 2017 ‘Post-truth politics and why the antidote isn’t simply “fact-