“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.”
— The late American philosopher Harry Frankfurt
Each person lies. Let’s be upfront and honest about that. Not to mention politicians, their attorneys, and other facilitators, but also you, me, and the fence post. Science has demonstrated that lying — including white lies, partial truths, lies of omission, and even outright fabrications — is a natural part of being human. We are also a startlingly credulous species, according to recent studies. However, an increasing number of experts see the pervasiveness of blatant lies and harmful nonsense spoken by legislators and other influential figures as an existential threat to democracy.
In American politics, bald-faced, cruel, and harmful lies have evolved from a source of shame and disgrace to a go-to rhetorical device in a matter of short decades.
The ramifications are clear. Even though a vibrant interchange of ideas is essential to democracy, more Americans than ever (59%) find it stressful to talk politics with those who don’t agree with them. One in five persons in the US claim that recent arguments over political topics with friends or family have strained their bonds.
So, we can all wonder: Why do so many influential people, as well as those who aspire to be influential or powerful, lie so blatantly?
Since it functions, the most accurate response is also the simplest.
The underlying explanation has to do with the peculiar science of the human mind, which renders us all liars and highly receptive to false information spread by others. It also has to do with the differing degrees to which people in this so-called post-truth period respect the truth at all. At the conclusion of our back-and-forth over this topic, Kim Serota, Ph.D., a marketing professor at Oakland University in Michigan who has done considerable research on human lying, may have posed the larger question:
How much deception can a community tolerate before the degree of deception becomes that…
