The Post-Truth Era Dishonesty and Deception in Contemporary Life

by Keyes, Ralph

• ISBN13: 9780312306489
• ISBN10: 0312306482
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-03
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

"Dishonesty inspires more euphemisms than copulation or defecation. This helps desensitize us to its implications. In the post-truth era we don't just have truth and lies but a third category of ambiguous statements that are not exactly the truth but fall just short of a lie. Enhanced truth it might be called. Neo-truth. Soft truth. Faux truth. Truth lite." Deception has become the modern way of life. Where once the boundary line between truth and lies was clear and distinct, it is no longer so. In the post-truth era, deceiving others has become a challenge, a game, a habit. High-profile dissemblers compete for news coverage, from journalists like Jayson Blair and professors like Joseph Ellis to politicians (of all stripes), executives, and "creative" accountants. Research suggests that the average American tells multiple lies on a daily basis, often for no good reason. Not a finger-wagging scolding, The Post-Truth Era is a combination of Ralph Keyes's investigative journalism and solid science. The result is a spirited exploration of why we lie about practically everything and the consequences such casual dishonesty has on society. American society has become permeated from top to bottom by deception. Its consequences for the nature of public discourse, media, business, literature, academia, and politics are profound. With dry humor, passionate fervor, and deep understanding, Ralph Keyes takes us on a tour of a world where truth and honesty are no longer absolutes but mutable, fluid concepts.

Author Biography

Ralph Keye's books include Timelock, The Courage to Write, and the bestselling Is There Life After High School? He has been on Oprah, 20/20,and The Today Show, as well as Fresh Air, and All Things Considered on NPR. His articles have been published in Esquire, GQ, Good Housekeeping, and Harper's. He lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Table of Contents

I. HONESTY'S DECLINE
Beyond Honesty
A Whole Lotta Lyin'	3	(16)
Whatever Happened to Honesty?
Post-Truthfulness/ Euphemasia
Ledger-Book Morality
A Brief History of Lying
The Liar's Edge	19	(16)
Early Ethics
The Insider's Guide to Honesty
Lie Regulation
Civil Society
The Honesty Connection
Community	35	(12)
Situational Dishonesty
Ethical Memories
Impression Management
Whistler's Druthers
Myth America	47	(13)
The Reinvented Self
Roots?
Great Pretenders
Petty Fibbery	60	(21)
A Matter of Degrees
Imposeurs
Fields of Unfulfilled Dreams
Behind the Mask
Why Lie?
Insecurity	81	(13)
Recreation
Duping Delight
Adventure
Taking Charge
Sex, Lies, and Sex Roles
Sex Studies	94	(19)
Telling It Slant
Erotic Deception
Relationships
II. ENABLING DISHONESTY
Mentors and Role Models
Therapists	113	(17)
Lawyers
Politicians
It's Academic
On Campus	130	(19)
Larger Truths
Pomo Profs
Heirs of Protagoras
Applied Postmodernism
Narrative Truths, and Lies
Narrative Truths	149	(22)
New Journalists
Driven Narratives
Creative Journalism
Ripple Effects
Masked Media
Hollywood Ethics	171	(13)
From Beaver to Baghdad
Narratives, Story Lines, and Dramatic Arcs
Peter Pan Morality
Origins	184	(12)
Looking-Glass Ethics
``I Was There''
The Boomer Code
Deception.com
Techno-Aided Deception	196	(17)
No One Knows You're a Dog
The Tangled Web
Enhanced Reality
III. CONSEQUENCES AND CONCLUSIONS
The Suspicious Society
Truth Bias to Lie Bias	213	(17)
Just Checking
Pinocchio's Revenge
Wired Up
Lies and Consequences
Credibility Gaps
The Price of Prevarication
No Respect	230	(11)
Lieaholism
Craving Truth
The Case for Honesty
Post-Ethics Honesty	241	(16)
The Well-Intentioned Liar
Honest Parenting
The Social Value of Honesty
Positive Trends
Honesty Redux
Acknowledgments	257	(2)
Recommended Reading	259	(2)
Notes	261	(46)
Index	307