Abstract (may include machine translation)
Speaking truth to powers-that-be and overthrowing a “regime of lies” were both dissident trademarks during the Cold War era. But what if overreliance on such an idealized and static notion of Truth can be a problem in an age of post-factual politics and information warfare? In this essay, I first problematize the idea that “truth will set us free” and re-read Václav Havel’s The Power of the Powerless together with a contemporary work-the film Camouflage by Krzysztof Zanussi-to find other foundations for political strategies, beyond the “struggle for truth,” that might transcend the posttotalitarian situation and inform our normative choices and political agency today. In a reality over-flooded with information, where spreading doubt and forging counternarratives has become a weapon, and where conspiracy theories seem to gain ground, relying on a self-evident distinction between Truth and Lies no longer has the power for political mobilization. It is individual conscience-nesting moral and political responsibility within the individual-rather than an externally existing Truth that might prove a more productive compass in a world of multiple vantage points and continuous re-interpretations.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 320-327 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | East European Politics & Societies |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 May 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Dissidents
- Krzysztof Zanussi
- Post-truth
- Truth
- Václav Havel