= Truth and Politics =

'''Truth and Politics''' was written by Hannah Arendt in 1967. It was originally published in the New Yorker, then reprinted in collections such as Between Past and Future (1968) and On Lying and Politics (2022, ISBN: 978-1598537314).

Concept of ''rational truths'' and ''factual truths''.
 * Rational = durable; mathematical proofs and philosophical tenets can be rediscovered from scratch
 * Factual = destructable; based purely on what someone happened to witness (or claimed to witness); cannot be rediscovered once lost or manipulated

There are similarities between ''opinions'' and ''facts''.
 * Both are 'political' in the sense that they rely on interdependent people.
   * Opinions can be formed in isolation, and facts can come from a single witness.
   * Confidence in an opinion grows with the perception that many other people hold the opinion, too.
   * People are fallible, so confidence in a fact grows with the number of witnesses.
 * Opinions and facts are not self-evident.
   * Facts were not facts until someone happened to witness it.

Instinctively, we understand that politics is a business of opinions rather than facts. All politicians have an incentive to lie.
 * On the one hand, lies naturally fall apart as they are challenged by factual truths.
 * Lies are more convincing than facts.
   * Lies are crafted to fit into our preexisting understanding of the world, while facts are surprising and run contrary to expectations.
   * Lies are certain in their conviction, while an honest fact is reported with uncertainty.
   * Lies don't come with a declaration of conflicts of interest, while scientists/journalists are required to disclose such ties.

To avoid having to tell lies that grow out of control, the efficient strategy is to cause the public to doubt everything. Must prevent politicization of factual truths.



== Reading Notes ==

Arendt is the most pretentious author I have ever had the displeasure of reading.

The discussion of the traditional lie vs. the modern lie is significantly reminiscent of [[PlunkittOfTammanyHall|honest graft vs. dishonest graft]]. That is to say, it is a false equivalence.



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