Abstract
The concept of post-truth, which came to the fore with the political developments in 2016, is one of the most discussed issues today. Post-truth emerged as a concept related to politics. When used in this way, the term implies that seeking the truth is no longer considered appropriate by politicians. This concept essentially defines the political tendencies that devalue the factual. Although it emerged in politics, it began to be used in other fields. Especially with the developments such as Trump's election victory in 2016 and Britain's Brexit referendum, the use of the concept has increased. Post-truth, which expresses the fact that the concept of truth has become controversial, has been chosen as the word of the year this year. This study will define the concept of post-truth on which books, articles, and theses are written. In addition, a brief introduction will be made to the reasons why today's world is called the post-truth age.
TopTruth And Beyond
The word parrhesia first appears in Greek literature in Euripides and has been used continuously in Ancient Greek literature since the end of the 5th century BC. The word is also found in texts written at the end of the 4th and 5th centuries AD. The word has three forms: noun form parrhesia; the verb form is parrhesiazomai (or, to put it better, parrhesiazesthaf); and the word parrhesiastes, which is not used very often and does not appear in classical texts. It is possible to find this last form of the word only in the Greco-Roman period. Parrhesia is often translated into English as “free speech”. Parrhesiazomai or parrhesiazesthai means to use parrhesia. Panhesiastes, on the other hand, describes the person who uses parrhesia, that is, who speaks the truth (Foucault, 2001, pp. 9–10). Parrhesiastes says what is true; because he knows that thing is true, and knowing that thing is true is because that thing is true. The Parrhesiastes not only is honest and says what he thinks; at the same time, his thought is truth (Foucault, 2001, p. 12).
What is the truth that Foucault defines as telling the truth? There are many definitions of the concept of truth that have been considered since the birth of humanity. Frolov defined truth as reflecting truth and reality in thought (Frolov, 1991, p. 199). Real refers to situations or events that “exist not imaginary but actually, not mental but physical” (Chandler & Munday, 2018, p. 152). Thoughts about this reality constitute the truth.
Reality refers to things outside of human existence and is not dependent on human existence.
Like nature, earth, universe, and planets. On the other hand, truth is closely related to human existence and thought. Truth is the knowledge attained through human existence and consciousness (Zabcı, 2021, p. 15).
The prefix “Post” indicates after a particular event or situation (Alpay, 2017, p. 25). However, the prefix post, which assumes a different role than this general usage in the concept of post-truth, refers to a stage where the word it comes before becomes unimportant and irrelevant (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2016).
Although the concept of “post-truth” was first used by Steve Tesich in an article in Nation in 1992, it came to the fore in 2004 with the book “Post-Truth Age” written by Ralph Keyes. While the original word “post-truth” was translated into Turkish, definitions such as “beyond truth”, “post-truth”, “post-truth”, “over-truth”, “beyond reality” were emphasized (Alpay, 2017, p. 25). The agreed-upon concept has often been “post-truth”.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Modernism: It is an opinion based on sense and science.
Populism: Trying to influence the masses by appealing to their emotions rather than their minds.
Postmodernism: There is no single truth in postmodernism; there is more than one truth. Indicates an uncertain period.
Post-Truth: It means that the truth loses importance, and people do not care about it.
New Media: Internet and computer-based communication tools.
Truth: It means the truthfulness of thought.
Post: It means after, next, later.