Do you remember a scene from the movie
Let me remind you.
Judge Randolph: *Consider yourself in Contempt!*
Kaffee: *Colonel Jessep, did you order the Code Red?*
Judge Randolph: You *don't* have to answer that question!
Col. Jessep: I'll answer the question!
[to Kaffee]
Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I'm entitled to.
Col. Jessep: *You want answers?*
Kaffee: *I want the truth!*
Col. Jessep: *You can't handle the truth!*
Here, Kaffee wanted to know the truth. And Jessep doubted his capabilities to handle it.
Now imagine ourselves at the place of Kaffee and our leaders at the place of Jessep. What?
Did you hear them? No?
No. Exactly. Because truth is relative. But it is relative in the private sphere only. No-one could say that in political or social sphere. Because "Truth" is imposed. It is imposed on us by the intellectuals, experts, leaders, all kinda elitists. Why do they do that?
Simple. Deconstruct the reality and motive will be more clear. (-Plato). (Do they read Plato too?๐ค) (Who clamoured 'demonetisation' there?)
So are they fooling us? May be not. It could be necessity of time (or for the sake of national security?). No, believe me, you are not anti-national when you ask that.
What is Post-Truth Society?
Post-truth is nothing but the mistaken assertion. As Franscis Fukuyama says, it is the assertion of things which has no factual base. It is also known as 'Post-Fact' society/politics, where there is manipulation of facts, converts in the lies and subsequently into the Truth.Franscis Fukuyama further analyses the process of this "Truth". After asserting this facts-less truth, some people start criticising it, but it makes no difference. Because already large chunks of people have started promoting it. Why? Reason behind this, it is motivated by personal beliefs and feeling which leader shares the same as of you and me.
For Ex. In India, there are various castes. For your political purpose (vested interests like votes, competition et.al.) you can't afford harmony between any two classes. What will you do? You will go to the first one and will convince them to come to the conclusion that the other one doesn't have good views about them. And then you will do the same with second one. Now it creates doubts. Subsequently clashes.
But the truth was they were really on good terms with each other. Lies create doubts and doubt destabilises society.
Hence, deconstruct the reality motive will be more clear.
This is how post-truth world works.
While articulating the definition of justice in dilectics of Plato, Cephalus, a character, argues 'justice is in being truthful'. Plato puts counter-argument, saying, Being truthful is a good proposition but not desirable in all situations. Sometimes it is better to conceal truth. (In case of Intelligence agencies, National Security.)
Concluding this we get two connotations of post-truth society-
1) Moral 2) Immoral.
If we talk about the immoral post-truth society, the term has been in news regarding Brexit and US presidential election. According to some analysts, Brexit and truimph of Trump are the offsprings of post-Truth politics, covering the truth under rhetoric (Kaun bola Modiji? Saala Anti-National) for political purposes.
But as some other experts say, this is not new term, it has been in our society since the formation of authorities, States and Nations. As author of the book 'Lies Incorporated' Ari Rabin-Havt says, there are no lie creators, there are lie amplifiers in today's world of politics. And creators are not new to us but the amplifiers are. Such as social networkings, facebook, whatsapp and manipulated main-stream media.
Conclusion: This is not new concept of today's world, it has just been coined again by amplifying the impact.