The manipulation of truth

Hannah Arendt discusses in her book 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' - the manipulation of truth and the impact on people’s ability to think independently.

I’ve been pondering about the effects of pervasive lying and the undermining of the capacity to distinguish truth from falsehood for quite a while now . . .

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.

The aim of totalitarian education has never been to instill convictions but to destroy the capacity to form any.

Arendt’s extensive body of work includes many nuanced discussions on truth, lies, and the nature of totalitarianism, and this quote reflects themes from her writing on totalitarianism and the nature of truth:

"This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore.

A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong.

And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule

of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want.“

- Hannah Arendt,

The world you entered at age 8 and all around you