Post-Truth American Politics
False Stories and Current Crises

Post-Truth American politics is full of false stories which must be challenged. We must promote truth To save democracy.

David Ricci (Author)

9781009396493, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 October 2023

234 pages
22.2 x 14.5 x 2.1 cm, 0.43 kg

‘David Ricci is a master teller of stories about stories. In a series of books, he has described the central role of narratives, myths, legends in shaping our common life. They are never entirely true, but they enable us to tell ourselves a story that makes sense of the world. But what happens to stories in a post-truth age, deluged with misinformation? How can we find sustaining stories? How can we deal with massive falsehood? That is Ricci’s new subject. It could not be more timely.’ Michael Walzer, Professor (emeritus) Institute for Advanced Study

David Ricci has written two books on 'political stories,' providing the foundations for Post-Truth Democracy. Yet the present book is arguably the most important yet. The author writes that we need stories to make our way in the world. But many stories, say from identity politics, are necessarily false because they are simplifications of some larger reality. However, not all stories are equally false or equally harmful. Some lead to bad outcomes, and it is the responsibility of scholars to counter harmful stories with other stories leading to better outcomes. Therefore, stories are an especially potent form of political power, deserving of scholarly and journalistic attention.

1. Getting Started
2. Stories
3. The Enlightenment
4. The Political Crisis
5. The Economic Crisis
6. Political Stories
7. Economic Stories
8. Choosing
9. The Ethics of Responsibility
10. Refraining
11. Dissembling
12. What Now?

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]