In a post-truth world only the ‘bullshitters’ are likely to thrive
We live in grave times where the assumption of rational expectations are being jettisoned in favour of emotion, writes Anthony Butler
These are grave times indeed. Rubbing shoulders this week with the global elite, here in Davos, Switzerland, one could sense, amid the canapés, a palpable unease among the former "masters of the universe", with whom one was chatting informally. At a meeting in a room in which the Chinese president was also present, one was compelled to wonder what the future holds for our small blue planet, adrift in the vastness of space. In January 2016, the world was a pretty bright place. There were problems, to be sure, but the quality of life of ordinary people — their health, education, and access to resources — had been improving around the world for decades. Women were increasingly gaining voice and power. (Well done!) New technologies allowed human beings unprecedented access to vast repositories of reliable knowledge, such as the London Guardian.Over the course of the year, however, some of the cornerstones upon which this fragile edifice of human civilization had been constructed began t...
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