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Several Final Fantasy XIV Modding Communities Have Banned Popular NSFW Modder
The bans came after modder Noffletoff was credibly accused of participating in graphic discussions of illegal content
Microsoft CEO Discusses His Goals For The Future Of Xbox, Feels 'Fantastic' About The IP Portfolio
"We want to be a great publisher and a great platform provider"
Forsaken or forgiven? Slumping fantasy QBs entering Sunday Week 3
Several high-value fantasy quarterbacks have disappointed after two games. Was this a warning sign, or should managers confidently stick with them?
Sci-Fi Central returns to Science Central with cosplay, games and fantasy-themed activities
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Science Central is bringing back its annual Sci-Fi Central event next month, featuring a full day of cosplay, games, demonstrations and other science fiction and...
Mississippi Department of Health to host maternal and infant health conference
The conference will also break down the newly released dietary guidelines for Americans and what they mean for pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding.
🚨 Europe’s four major leagues call for FIFA reform
Another blow to Gianni Infantino.A major statement was jointly released by Europe’s four biggest leagues this Friday morning!The Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga have indeed taken...
The sun has set on a fantastic edition of the FISU Beach Sports Championships
The Figueira da Foz Buarcos Beach has seen the best beach soccer, handball, wrestling and volleyball student-athletes from the world compete on its sand over the last seven days. What a great way to say goodbye to the Portuguese summer! Almost from sunrise until sunset, student-athletes from all over the world jumped, kicked, ran and […]
Former Vanillaware veteran Takafumi Noma on new action RPG DAWNGAZER and building a transmedia fantasy IP that will “accommodate all kinds of stories and forms of gameplay”
Unicorn Overlord director Takafumi Noma announces fantasy IP IGNISPHERE and action RPG DAWNGAZER for PS5, Switch 2, and PC
Publisher Good Smile Company and developer Monochrome Corporation have announced new fantasy intellectual property IGNISPHERE, and the first game set in that world, DAWNGAZER, led by Unicorn Overlo…
Unique mural painted on Mount Vernon real estate business building
MOUNT VERNON — Real estate and the "Final Fantasy" franchise might not typically go hand-in-hand, but that didn't stop Dominic Pettruzzelli when designing a mural for his business.
'It's Not Great Content': Ex-Dragon Age Exec Says He'd Now Change or Ditch Several Key Moments From the Series
Former Dragon Age exec Mark Darrah has revealed what he'd change about BioWare's beloved fantasy series, after spending more than 20 years at the studio.
Jimmy Pitaro Built ESPN’s Streaming Future. But How Many Fans Are Paying for It?
Jimmy Pitaro is turning ESPN Unlimited into an NFL streaming hub with NFL Network, fantasy football and a Super Bowl, even without every game.
Fantasy Football 2026: Week 3 preview
Fantasy Football Advice - Rides, Fades, and Sleepers to help you set your lineup
Baptist Health Foundation Receives $1 Million Gift from Julio and Alexandra Herrera
Baptist Health Foundation announced a $1 million gift from Julio C. and Alexandra Herrera to support care for women and infants at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital. The gift will be divided evenly, with $500,000 supporting the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at South Miami Hospital and $500,000 supporting the transformation of the Lake […]
NFL Week 3 Survivor/Eliminator Picks
With 1:56 left Sunday, the Eagles were down 20-17 and looked like they might lose to the Titans. With 10 seconds left, they were still down. They scored a touchdown then, and even if they hadn’t they were close enough…
“Feeling fantastic,” Curry said Wednesday at an …
“Feeling fantastic,” Curry said Wednesday at an …
Washington couple sues Salem Health, alleges hospital sent them home with infant son’s body
A Washington couple is suing Salem Health, alleging the hospital system sent them home from the emergency room with their infant son’s body in their back seat.
Oregon hospital made parents drive to Seattle with dead infant, suit says
A Washington couple is suing Salem Health for $10 million after they claimed they had to drive their son's body home after his death in the hospital.
The NFL Fantasy Hobby Waiver Wire: Week 2
Two weeks in, and fantasy football statistics are already reshaping the sports card secondary market in real time.
Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 3: WR Edition
Keep the momentum rolling with your fantasy roster in Week 3 with the right wide receivers.
Fantasy Football running back rankings in Week 3
These are the running backs who will have the most success in Week 3 of fantasy football.
Review: Lords of the End Times is Total War Warhammer III's most ambitious DLC yet, and it delivers
Whether you want to bring ruin to the world or save it from destruction, Total War: Warhammer III's latest DLC delivers on the ultimate power fantasy.
Rays get A+ grade from ESPN for 2 obvious reasons
The Rays continue their fantastic season this week as they face the Yankees.
Passionate sports fans and mental health
Whether you're watching it live in person and just sitting at home on your couch, cheering on for your favorite team or player does more than just boost your adrenaline. FOX Medical Team's Deena Centofanti explains.
Week 3 fantasy defense rankings: Top D/ST streamers, starts
With starting quarterback Jayden Daniels sidelined in Washington, the Seattle Seahawks are perched atop this week's fantasy defense rankings.
Week 3 fantasy kicker rankings: Top streamers, starts
The Bengals' Evan McPherson is one of several NFL kickers who haven't missed a field goal or extra point attempt through the first two games.
Matthew Berry expanding beyond ‘Fantasy’ with new daily talk show on Roku Channel
Arguably the most well-known fantasy football personality, Berry is shifting from NBC Sports to hub Roku Channel's daily sports lineup.
Why scientists still cannot say how much plastic infants are actually consuming
A systematic review of 22 primary studies and four reviews found plastic-derived contaminants across infant foods and feeding equipment, but major differences in sampling, analytical methods, and quality control made exposure estimates difficult to compare. The authors found substantial evidence gaps for nanoplastics and oligomers and concluded that better-standardized exposure assessment is needed before infant health risks can be reliably evaluated.
New Adtech From Microsoft Would Interrupt Your Game at 'Promoted Content Trigger Events'
Fantastic news for everyone who loves ads in their video games.
Calls to sign infant formula testing bill into law in New York
The measure passed the state Legislature this past session. It’s now up to Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign into law.
Lawsuit: Parents claim Salem Hospital told them to drive dead infant home to Seattle
A Washington couple is suing Salem Health and an ER doctor, alleging staff told them to drive their infant son’s body home after he died, with minimal paperwork and guidance.
Week 3 fantasy wide reciever rankings: Top WR streamers, starts
Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb gave his fantasy managers a leg up on the competition in Week 2. Is he poised for another star turn against the Ravens?
Grieving parents sue hospital saying staff handed them prescription slip to drive dead baby home in back seat
A Washington couple has filed a $10M lawsuit against Salem Health, claiming staff forced them to drive their deceased infant home across state lines in their backseat.
Grieving parents sue hospital saying staff handed them prescription slip to drive dead baby home in back seat
A Washington couple has filed a $10M lawsuit against Salem Health, claiming staff forced them to drive their deceased infant home across state lines in their backseat.
Grieving parents sue hospital saying staff handed them prescription slip to drive dead baby home in back seat
A Washington couple has filed a $10M lawsuit against Salem Health, claiming staff forced them to drive their deceased infant home across state lines in their backseat.
Week 3 fantasy running back rankings: Top streamers, starts
The NFL's leading rusher after two weeks, Kansas City's Kenneth Walker III, has also been the most targeted RB in the passing game. Where does he slot this week?
5 waiver wire pickups in fantasy football in Week 3
Here are five of the top NFL fantasy football waiver wire pickups heading into Week 3, including QB Bryce Young.
Mobile boat clinics bring healthcare to India's remote islands
An infant lets out a feeble cry as a doctor administers a routine but vital injection aboard a mobile boat clinic, part of a network serving remote riverine communities in northeastern India.But the n...
Dealroom.co | Anthropic pours A$10M more into Australian science, lifting total to A$13M
What's the deal? Anthropic is adding A$10 million in Claude API…
Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups After Week 2
Need help attacking the waiver wire ahead of Week 3? Click here for The Sporting News' waiver wire report.
Kosair for Kids Awards $2.5M grant to Med Center Health’s newborn safety program
What This Story Is About: Kosair for Kids awarded a $2.5 million grant to Med Center Health to fund its new "Womb to World" infant and child safety program.
Seahawks star JSN a Week 2 fantasy football winner
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a huge performance against the Cardinals on Sunday that made him one of the best performers in fantasy football for the week.
Final Fantasy Director Says Xenogears 'Sounds Like A Tough Game' To Remake And I'm Beginning To Think The Cult PS1 RPG Might Never Be Coming Back
What began as a possible Final Fantasy game deserves to have its legacy preserved
Dem lawmakers scoff at Trump's $5K 'fantasy land' promise: 'Ain't happening'
President Donald Trump's $5,000 dividend pledge faces bipartisan pushback, with Democrats calling it a "bribe" and Republicans questioning its feasibility.
Final Fantasy Revelation will let players automatically raise their character’s level to skip grinding
It’s designed for players who don’t want the side content and just want the main story…
The 6 Best Science Fantasy Movies Released Since 2010, Ranked
From Everything Everywhere All at Once to Avatar: The Way of Water, these science fantasy epics balance awe and heart.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Will 'Easily Take Over 100 Hours' for Completionists to Beat, Director Teases
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi teased that completionist playthroughs for the remake trilogy's conclusion could "easily take over a hundred hours" to beat.
‘Be a part of the story’: Hillsboro’s new fantasy bookstore brings ‘Hidden Worlds’ to life
The bookstore’s grand opening drew hundreds of readers to Orenco Station in Hillsboro over the weekend. “The readers show up, they show out, they’re really supportive,” owner Hayley Klarich said.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation Could Have One Of The Biggest Download Sizes In Xbox History
Just to warn you
It's confirmed: Electric striker ready to join Liverpool squad
Liverpool have a fantastic striker ready to join their first-team squad. It’s time, that much is clear.Liverpool are low on strikers right now. Hugo Ekitiké's injury has them down to just the one e...
State settles infant formula contamination lawsuit, more Health Headlines
Colorado is set to receive nearly $2 million from Abbott Laboratories after settling nationwide allegations that the company misrepresented the safety of powdered infant formula purchased with state and federal
ESPN - Serving Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere.
Visit ESPN for live scores, highlights and sports news. Stream exclusive games on ESPN and play fantasy sports.
Patriots underrated WR viewed as Week 2 fantasy football sleeper
Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins could be in line for a large workload in Week 2 with A.J. Brown sidelined.
Bold predictions in Fantasy Football Week 2
Fantasy Football bold predictions for Week 2.
Brentford 3-0 Chelsea
Campbell: Fantastic win; Damsgaard outstanding, Keane Lewis-Potter was also very good. Took on and beat Chelsea in midfield and never reverted to a low block; a clear sign of the development of the team under Andrews. Brilliant game and evening if you're a Brentford fan and I hope we see more.
NFL Week 2 fantasy quarterback rankings: Top QB streamers, starts
Dak Prescott is among the best quarterback options for fantasy football in NFL Week 2.
NFL Week 2 fantasy flex rankings: Top streamers, starts
The versatile Christian McCaffrey continues to be a top starter in NFL Week 2 fantasy football rankings.
Bears-Vikings Franchise Connections
Let’s spotlight the franchise connections between the Bears and Vikings heading into Week 2. @jacobinfante24 has it here:
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Director Warns of 200GB Install Size for Remake Trilogy's Final Chapter
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will require around 200GB of storage when it launches next year, director Naoki Hamaguchi has warned.
Conference focuses on improving maternal health
Health leaders convened in Youngstown to address maternal health disparities and infant mortality rates while highlighting resources available to expecting families.
Philadelphia Health Officials Warn Of Possible Measles Exposure At Children’s Hospital
Infants who were potentially exposed to the extremely contagious airborne virus are being given a preventative antibody product.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be "around 200GB" says game director, as he details Sephiroth and Vincent Valentine DLC plans
"I understand there are a lot of opinions about this topic," explains Naoki Hamaguchi.
Fantasy Bundesliga: Scout squads for Matchday 4
Bulinews' Fantasy Bundesliga writers have each put together a squad of 10 outfield players for Matchday 4 of the 2026/27 season.Managers have full freedom with formations, but squads can’t exceed 11...
Monstrous Musings: How To Put the Fantastic in Fantastic Fest
This week most of the Fango Fam is at Fantastic Fest this week. I’ve been going since 2012; some of these young pups are on their third or fourth FF; for a few it’ll be their first! If you’ve been, yo...
Keep or sell Cherki? FPL gameweek five dilemmas
BBC Sport's Fantasy Premier League expert FPL Heisenberg gives his answers to some of the biggest dilemmas facing managers in gameweek five.
FF7 Revelation director Hamaguchi discusses the game’s 200GB size, DLC plans, and a new Tifa detail
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation’s director isn’t concerned it’s too big…
Philadelphia health leaders warn of possible measles exposure reported at CHOP’s NICU
Officials said they’re working to administer a preventative antibody treatment to all infants in the NICU to help protect them from measles.
Fantasy football Week 2 sleepers: 7 streamers to target
With injuries already piling up, here are some players to stream in Week 2 who might be flying under the radar.
Should you start Bucs RB's this week in fantasy football?
Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell both have fantasy value entering the Bucs' Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Should you start Baker Mayfield this week in fantasy football?
Baker Mayfield draws his former team in Week 2. Should fantasy managers trust the Buccaneers quarterback against Cleveland?
Get Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for Under $9 By Following This One Easy Step
We're getting close to wrapping up this trilogy.
HCA Healthcare buys Texas allied health college CHCP
HCA Healthcare, the Nashville-based healthcare company that co-owns the Methodist Health System, has purchased an allied health college.
Fantasy Football 2026: Week 2 preview
Fantasy Football Advice - Rides, Fades, and Sleepers to help you set your lineup
6 Best Science Fantasy Movies Released Since 2000, Ranked
Poor Things, Palm Springs, and Sorry to Bother You are among the best science fantasy movies released since the year 2000.
Week 2 NFL preview: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings
A fantastic chess match is set for Sunday between the Vikings and Bears. @SamHouseholder has the game preview.
March of Dimes and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation launch partnership to advance maternal and infant mental health innovation
/PRNewswire/ -- March of Dimes, the nation's leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, today announced a partnership with the Arthur M....
Fantasy Bundesliga tips: 10 players to consider for Matchday 4
In this Fantasy Bundesliga article, we’ll highlight 10 players to consider adding to your team ahead of Matchday 4.As a rule of thumb, we'll try to steer clear of the most obvious picks, instead foc...
NFL Week 2 Survivor/Eliminator Picks
Here are a couple excerpts from last week’s Week 1 NFL Survivor article, just as a quick little “previously on” segment: “There will be some wild game in Week 1 that knocks out a significant percentage of players. Let’s try…
FPL Gameweek 5 Top Transfers: The Best Players to Buy
As we head into Gameweek 5 of the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League season, manager strategy shifts from early-season observation to targeted squad optimization. Favorable fixture swings and rising form assets present the perfect opportunity to use your free transfers to surge up your mini-league standings. Whether you are restructuring your defense or looking for explosive […]
Falcons star among fantasy football duds from Week 1
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts among biggest fantasy duds in NFL Week 1
Fantasy Football Scout: Gameweek 5 hints, tips and advice
Brentford has teamed up with Fantasy Football Scout to help bring you hints, tips and advice throughout the 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season.Scout will use its expertise to provide informat...
Final Fantasy Resonance TGS 2026 trailer
Square Enix has released the Tokyo Game Show 2026 trailer for HD-2D turn-based RPG Final Fantasy Resonance.
Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski gets fantastic unanimous Cy Young poll results
The results of this poll make it clear that Jacob Misiorowski should win this award.
Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: WR Edition
Let's take a look at what wide receivers you should start, and which you should sit, in Week 2.
Packers’ Third-Year RB Gets ‘Damning’ Warning
Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd was a high-upside swing in fantasy football drafts with an understandably low floor. So, finishing his first game of the 2026 season with 13 carries for 37 yards and no impact in the passing game was in the range of outcomes for the third-year running back. Despite that, […] The post Packers’ Third-Year RB Gets ‘Damning’ Warning appeared first on HEAVY.
Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: TE Edition
I hit four of six TE picks last week, all of which were highly unconventional. If you're looking to go against the grain, here are six more picks.
South Carolina Announces Recipients of Rural Health Transformation Program Funding
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster this week announced the state has awarded 228 grants totaling $167,299,900.69 in funding to strengthen health care access, quality and outcomes in primary care, maternal and infant care, pediatrics and behavioral...
Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: QB Edition
After throwing for only 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and throwing an interception, he posted just 15.4 points
Truth and Politics in the Age of Post-Truth
Get E-International Relations delivered to your inbox, free of charge. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber, or make a donation, to support our work. Subscribe This is an excerpt from Global Politics in a Post-Truth Era. You can download the book free of charge from E-International Relations. The term post-truth is by now so ubiquitous in describing the state of politics in the Western world and even beyond that the most pressing issue of the day appears to be about making democracy work in the era of post-truth rather than questioning the normalisation of the term itself in the first place. The critical turning point appeared to have occurred in 2016 when the term was chosen by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘The Word of the Year.’ On its website, the Dictionary notes the transformation of post-truth from ‘being a peripheral term to being a mainstay in political commentary and connects ‘the spike in frequency’ directly with the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom and the election of Donald J. Trump in the United States – both occurring in 2016. Paired with the noun ‘politics,’ post-truth is defined as an adjective ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first use of the term to a 1992 essay in The Nation by the playwright Steve Tesich as he reflected on the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal and the 1990–91 Gulf War: We are rapidly becoming prototypes of a people that totalitarian monsters could only drool about in their dreams. All the dictators up to now have had to work hard at suppressing the truth. We, by our actions, are saying that this is no longer necessary, that we have acquired a spiritual mechanism that can denude truth of any significance. In a very fundamental way we, as a free people, have freely decided that we want to live in some post-truth world (Tesich 1992, 13; emphasis added). He then continued, The Gulf War is over but the war at home goes on. The gulf between rich and destitute widens – between those of us who live in a modern post-industrial nation and those of us who live in the Third World countries of our inner cities. The present administration’s response to this internal crisis has shifted from benign to malignant neglect. The current levels of misery and decomposition of our cities and the economic gulags of our ghettos are acceptable. Since there is only so much hope to go around, there is a freeze on hope. The have-nots have now been reclassified as never-will-haves (Tesich 1992, 13). In the context of Tesich’s essay, truth includes both facts, as in what happens, and ‘moral absolutes,’ as in the ‘self-evident truths mentioned in our Constitution’ (Tesich 1992, 14). Together, these two notions of truth entail the obligation to both act and react. The two passages cited above show that even in the early post-Cold War years, Tesich was already deeply concerned that the American people are neither prepared to act on truth nor react to truth that is disconcerting, or what he calls ‘bad news’ (Tesich 1992, 12). Accordingly, Tesich’s insight as captured by the term post-truth is not that truth is irrelevant to what we know, but rather it is irrelevant to how we act. In contrast, ‘post-truth politics,’ as defined by Oxford as a term that pitches ‘objective facts’ against ‘emotion and personal belief’ such that the latter appears to have overtaken the former in shaping ‘public opinion’ and thereby, democratic politics. When Tesich’s post-truth politics and its current usage are juxtaposed, the two are in fact not identical in terms of what truth is and how it relates to politics. Against such consideration, this chapter provides a critical survey of selected historical events and theoretical considerations for the purpose of gaining a more nuanced understanding of the relation between truth and politics. Truth and Language One notable impact of post-truth politics is that language is being overtly deployed as a political weapon not only by politicians and those in power, but among the general population. It seems that once facts are irrelevant to the validity of what is being said, language becomes the platform for an all-out political contest in which what is said is no more than an act of will expressed as an assertion of power and/or an exercise in defiance. As early as in the writings of Thucydides (460–400 BCE), the vulnerability of logos – which is the human capacity for rational discourse in tumultuous times – was already noted. Thucydides belonged to a school of Greek thought which maintained that language is conventional and that the association between name and things is a result of ‘human use and habit’ rather than ‘nature or divine dispensation’ (Connor 1984, 99). The conventional nature of language means that it is incapable of providing its users with any independent criteria for judgement. In Thucydides’ study of the Peloponnesian War (431–405 BCE), the subversion of logos as seen in the manipulation of language was introduced through his account of the civil war in Corcyra (Thucydides 1972, 236-245). The war first broke out in 427 BCE between the pro-Athenian democratic faction and the pro-Spartan oligarchic faction before it spread to the rest of the Greek world. There was a general breakdown of law and order, resulting in extreme violence and death. Language underwent changes that were reflective of the events of the time. The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) translated Thucydides’ description of the situation as follows: The received value of names imposed for signification of things, was changed into arbitrary. For inconsiderate boldness, was counted true-hearted manliness: provident deliberation, a handsome fear: modesty, the cloak of cowardice: to be wise in everything, to be lazy in everything... he that had been so provident as not to need to do the one or the other, was said to be a dissolver of society, and one that stood in fear of his adversary. In brief, he that could outstrip another in the doing of an evil act, or that could persuade another thereto that never meant it, was commended (Hobbes 1839–1845, 8: 348; Thucydides 1972, 242-243). What concerned Thucydides most was that the meanings of words are no more than linguistic conventions that require logos to support them. The Corcyrean civil war was a reminder that such capacity cannot be assumed. This is why history understood as an authentic account of what happens matters. Guided by logos, the historian’s task is ‘the search after truth’, which is established through ‘the absence of the fabulous,’ including ‘the rejection of myth and unverifiable stories’ (de Jonge 2017, 2). Thus, history plays an important role in facilitating the stability of language – without which distinctions and judgements cannot be rendered communicable. Just like Thucydides, Hobbes was a nominalist who subscribed to the view that there is no inherent meaning to words. Hobbes’ state of nature, where there is no common authority, is precisely one in which distinctions cannot be made. As Hobbes put it, there is ‘no Mine and Thine distinct’ nor is there distinction between ‘the notions of Right and Wrong, Justice and Injustice’ (1968, 188; emphasis in original). This is clearly an unsustainable condition for everyone. Behind Hobbes’ famous words that life in the state of nature is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’ is his uncompromising argument for the ‘Leviathan’, which is described by the late American political theorist, Sheldon Wolin (1922–2015), as the ‘sovereign definer’ (Hobbes 1968, 186; Wolin 2004, 238–243). Accordingly, the social contract is importantly a ‘linguistic contract’ that binds all parties to ‘general names agreed upon’ (Peters 1979, 125; Hobbes 1968, 111). Through Thucydides and Hobbes, we can identify a line of thinking that sees politics as a contestation over the use of language, which is based on shared conventions and norms. Thus understood, politics is not a collective quest for the true nature of our being or an epistemological exercise in pursuit of true knowledge. Rather, politics is about humans living with one another by finding a shared language to communicate with one another on matters that affect them all. Truth is in that sense contingent on what is being said as opposed to setting the standard for it. In other words, truth is the embodiment of shareability among us. While truth as such ensures the viability of a political entity, truth by no means represents a normative standard to adjudicate among contesting actors in what they say, let alone in what they do. During Thucydides’ times, ancient China was also experiencing a tumultuous time as the ruling Zhou dynasty deteriorated into the period of the Warring States (481–221 BCE). This was when the rulers of Zhou no longer presided over the territories brought under its control through conquest. Instead of professing allegiance to the Zhou royalty, the lords of these territories became kings themselves to rule over their own land. The period was one marked by endless military campaigns as each of the seven major states aimed to conquer the rest (Lewis 1999). Yet, the period was also known for its intellectual vibrancy as different thinkers challenged the restoring of order among these warring states – including offering ideas and advice to rulers on good governance. Among these thinkers was Confucius (551–479 BCE). His thought, which came to be known as Confucianism, went on to become the state ideology of China from the Han dynasty (206 BCE–222 CE) until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911 when China became a republic. The founding text of Confucianism was the Analects, which is a collection of dialogues between Confucius and his students as recorded by them. One key concept Confucius advanced is the ‘rectification of names’. Though the term only appears in one exchange in the Analects, it is considered a major aspect of Confucius’ thought. Generations of Confucian scholars from past and present, including Western academics, have debated over its interpretation (Makeham 2003). The passage in question reads as follows: Zi Lu said: ‘The monarch of the state of Wei wants you to govern the country, what is the first thing you plan on doing?’ Confucius said: ‘First it is necessary to rectify the names.’Zi Lu said: ‘Is that really what has to be done? You are being too pedantic, aren’t you now? How will you rectify these names?’Confucius said: ‘Zhong You, you are too unrefined. A gentleman, faced with a matter that he does not understand, takes a skeptical attitude. If names are not correct, one cannot speak smoothly and reasonably, and if one cannot speak smoothly and reasonably, affairs cannot be managed successfully. If affairs cannot be managed successfully, rites and music will not be conducted. If rites and music are not conducted, punishments will not be suitable. And if punishments are not suitable, the common people will not know what to do. So, when the gentleman uses names, it is necessary to be able to speak so that people understand. If one can say it, one can definitely do it. A gentleman should not be careless with words’ (Analects 13:3 in Cao 2016, 148). This translation is offered by the contemporary philosopher Cao Feng. As Cao notes, the passage is what started the whole debate over ‘exactly what kind of names did Confucius... wish to rectify’ (Cao 2016, 148). Of the three major groups of interpretation examined by Cao, beginning with classical Confucian scholarship, one is arguably the most influential and certainly most pertinent to the issue of language and politics. This is the interpretation that was first associated with the Neo-Confucian master, Zhu Xi (1130–1200), who argued that the ‘rectification of names is simply the rectification of politics’ (Cao 2016, 149). Within this interpretive framework, rectification has the dual functions of correction and prescription by ensuring that predetermined hierarchical roles are strictly adhered to through following ‘the system of rites and propriety’ (Cao 2016, 151). In addition, the rectification of names entails ‘using names to rectify actuality’ (Cao 2016, 151). Yet Cao rejects this whole body of interpretive works by arguing that these were ideas developed later. Instead, Cao suggests the following: The original meaning of Confucius’ rectification of names may, then, be quite simple. Confucius did not mean to establish a concrete, normative system of “names”; rather, Confucius was simply the first person in history to realize or remark upon the importance of language in politics. As a politician, he noticed and foresaw the impact that the indeterminacy, ambiguity, and arbitrariness of names would have on politics. Confucius recognized the political consequences of language’s not accurately expressing meaning or not being accurately received by people. He realized the great role that names, as a means of distinguishing right and wrong and establishing norms, could play in society and politics (Cao 2016, 168). Scholarly debates aside, Cao’s view has the advantage of identifying an interpretation of this controversial exchange in the Analects that enables its readers to extrapolate from it the observation that the meaning of words depends as much on their users as on their interpreters; neither of which can be predetermined. Accordingly, a good ruler is someone who can speak without ambiguity to his subjects and make good his words through actions. Stated differently, Cao’s view on what concerned Confucius then, who was living through times of protracted political upheaval, is that language is an indispensable political tool for those in power and can be deployed by both good and bad rulers alike. To sum up, this historical survey shows that politics as a war of words is by no means a distinctive marker of contemporary politics nor the Western world. Be it ancient or current, east or west, language is subject to manipulation to serve political purposes and when there is an outright war of words that defies existing norms, it is indicative of a political situation in which people no longer share a language and truth becomes irrelevant. Accordingly, political order entails stability in language use. Truth and Politics As previously noted, current use of the term post-truth as an adjective to the term ‘politics’ suggests that once there was a time when politics aligned with truth. Indeed, if we start with Plato’s Republic as the key founding text of Western political thought, we see that the ideal polis (city-state of ancient Greece) is where truth and politics converge, and justice is achieved. Written around 380 BCE when Athens was still coping with its defeat by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War, the Republic is a defence of the rule of the ‘philosopher king’, defined as someone who is ‘guided by the truth’ and is ‘always and in every way’ in pursuit of the truth (Plato 1974, 490a). For Plato, truth converges with virtues and hence, letting the philosopher take charge of politics is to let the wisest and the most virtuous lead the less wise and the less virtuous even if it requires compulsion (Plato 1974, 499b). In Plato’s words, ‘…until the philosophers attain power in a city there will be no respite from evil for either city or citizens…’ (Plato 1974, 501e). The uncompromising rule of philosopher-kings is made palatable by the claim that we are all ‘earth- born brothers’ with random mixtures of gold, silver, bronze and iron, but only the gold can rule (Plato 1974, 414–415). Understandably, academic debates over the interpretation of Plato’s Republic revolve around the question of whether truth as attained in philosophy can be realised in politics as action and whether such a connection is even desirable. Without getting into the details of these scholarly exchanges, I suggest that they all share the concern that truth acquired through the rigorous process of philosophical reasoning is not without problem when applied to the real world of living humans. This is because not all humans are philosophers – and indeed, in Plato’s view, not everyone is capable of becoming a philosopher given the protracted and arduous training that one needs to endure to become one. Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), a highly influential political philosopher of the twentieth century, notes that ‘Plato was the first to introduce the division between those who know and do not act and those who act and do not know’ and that such a separation has remained ‘at the root of all theories of domination’ (Arendt 1958, 223, 225). What Arendt points out in this remark is not the gap between theory and practice, but rather that Plato provides the normative ground for those who know the truth to tell those who do not know what to do. Arendt herself took on the challenge of understanding the relationship between truth and politics through her analysis of Nazism and Stalinism. Arendt’s insight, which was controversial when The Origins of Totalitarianism was published in 1951, was to identify Nazism and Stalinism as representative of a new form of political rule – totalitarianism – making it distinct from ‘other forms of political oppression... such as despotism, tyranny and dictatorship’ (Arendt 1973, 460). Arendt defines totalitarianism as a self- contained system of ideas driven by their ‘logic’ and marked by a mode of reasoning called ‘ideological thinking.’ Ideological thinking as such is a distinctive form of political reasoning defined by three characteristics. First, ideological thinking claims to provide a ‘total explanation’ of all historical happenings, encompassing the past, the present, and the future. Second, while ideological thinking is an attempt to account for ‘factual reality’ in its totality, this mode of thinking is paradoxically divorced from reality and experience. This is because experience, being rooted in specificity, is clearly limited in its claim to totality. It follows that as its third characteristic, ideological thinking aims to emancipate thought from the limitation imposed by experience through a ‘specific method of demonstration.’ The method involves arranging facts into an ‘absolutely logical procedure’ that starts from an ‘axiomatically accepted premise’. It is, in short, a ‘process of deduction from a premise’ – which is the only possible movement in the realm of logic that leads to one definitive conclusion. This is how the ‘logicality of ideological thinking’ provides the basis for total explanation and the ‘principle of action’ for totalitarian movement (Arendt 1973, 468–474). Stated differently, totalitarianism is a form of uncompromising idealism that exists in one’s head irrespective of shared reality as experienced. It is the perverse form of what Arendt later refers to as ‘rational truth’, which is the product of the ‘speculative mind’ that belongs to philosophy, mathematics and the sciences. The ‘speculative mind’ is the mind working on its way to generate axioms and theories by relying on the cognitive capacity of the human brain (Arendt 1977, 231). The presence of others has no bearing whatsoever on rational truth. In contrast, ‘factual truth’ is what happens when humans are ‘living and acting together’ (Arendt 1977, 231). Factual truth is therefore particular and temporal by definition. But more importantly, factual truth is ‘political by nature’ because it can only be validated in the context of the human community (Arendt 1977, 238). In other words, factual truth is about humans in their plurality rather than in their singularity. For factual truth to be sustainable, we need what Arendt calls ‘common sense’ – understood as ‘community sense’ (Arendt 1982, 72). There is also another distinction about truth that Arendt makes which is pertinent to understanding how totalitarianism works. The issue is whether the so-called totalitarian ideology is simply an unnecessarily cumbersome way of saying that it is an all-round and polished lie. Here, Arendt calls totalitarian ideology the ‘modern lie’ – in contrast to the ‘traditional lie’. The latter is restricted by two conditions: that it is a lie about the ‘particulars’ and that it deceives only the ‘enemy’ – which means that the liar is not engaged in self- deception. The modern lie, however, involves a ‘complete rearrangement of the whole factual texture’. It also intends to deceive everyone alike, to the extent that those who initiate the lie eventually ‘fall victims to their own falsehood’ (Arendt 1977, 249–254). This distinction between the traditional and modern lie is important. It indicates that not only is totalitarianism a lie, but the lie is in fact too big to fit into the standard meaning of the word. To tell a lie from truth, we need a common standard. In the case of a traditional lie, the common standard is precisely ‘the fabric of factuality’. As such, a lie always appears as a ‘tear’ to that fabric. Yet, modern lies require making a surrogate reality with a completely different context for facts to fit ‘without seam, crack, or fissure, exactly as the facts fitted into their original context’. Arendt notes that as long as those who concoct the surrogate reality are prepared to engage in self- deception to ‘create a semblance of truthfulness’, there is nothing to prevent ‘these new stories, images, and non-facts from becoming an adequate substitute for reality and factuality’ (Arendt 1977, 253–254). Totalitarianism therefore requires a person to stand outside of the system itself in order to make sense of it. Arendt points out that it is futile for us to argue with (for example) a Nazi or a Stalinist on race or class. To confront totalitarianism requires more than just a confrontation with specific facts. It is a more fundamental confrontation between reality as experienced and its total rejection. This means that Nazism and Stalinism are more than radical ways of conducting racial conflict or class struggle. Rather: Totalitarian politics – far from being simply antisemitic or racist or imperialist or communist – use and abuse their own ideological and political elements until the basis of factual reality, from which the ideologies originally derived their propaganda value– the value of struggle, for instance, or the interest conflicts between Jews and their neighbours – have all but disappeared (Arendt 1973, xv). Accordingly: 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 (that is, the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (that is, the standards of thought) no longer exist (Arendt 1973, 474). Who then is the ‘ideal subject’ of totalitarianism? Although there is a revival of interest in Arendt’s observation on truth and politics since the onset of post- truth politics, not enough has been said about her reply to the question (Hyvönen 2018; Klinkler 2018; Lee 2019; Zerilli 2020). Yet if we take a look at Arendt’s portrait of this ideal subject, her view is even more pertinent to our current challenge. As a self-contained system of ideas that is detached from experience, totalitarian thinking offers consistency in ways that reality cannot. Arendt notes that this kind of consistency is especially appealing to those who have lost a sense of bearing in the world (Arendt 1973, 353). They constitute what she calls the ‘masses’. The ‘mass man’ is thus a highly isolated and atomised individual, who is ‘obsessed by a desire to escape from reality’ (Arendt 1973, 318, 352). In his ‘essential homelessness’ the mass man can ‘no longer bear its accidental, incomprehensible aspects’ (Arendt 1973, 352). This longing for escape from reality is a ‘verdict against the world’ in which one is ‘forced to live’ but ‘cannot exist’ (Arendt 1973, 352). Such a situation is ripe for the ‘revolt of the masses’ against ‘common sense,’ which is ‘the result of their atomisation, of their loss of social status’ and with it, the ‘whole sector of communal relationships in whose framework common sense makes sense’ (Arendt 1973, 352). In short, the masses are people who are considered to be ‘superfluous or can be spared … [who] cannot be integrated into any organisation based on common interest’ (Arendt 1973, 311). Whether one agrees with Arendt’s analysis of the social conditions in the interwar years that led to the formation of the ‘masses’, her portrait of the ‘mass man’ is a powerful account of what can happen to an individual who has become disposable to the society that they used to belong to. Hand in hand with this phenomenon is indeed the collapse of ‘common sense’ that leaves the dislodged individual scrambling for reconnection. By offering the masses a substitute reality validated by the ‘logic of an idea’ rather than by experience, totalitarianism makes it possible for them to live in a world where there is no condition of plurality. Between ‘facing the anarchic growth and total arbitrariness of decay’ and ‘bowing down before the most rigid, fantastically fictitious consistency of an ideology’, the masses will likely ‘choose the latter’ (Arendt 1973, 352). A world created by ideology, then, is more attractive to the masses not because ‘they are stupid and wicked, but because in the general disaster this escape grants them a minimum of self- respect’ by conjuring up ‘a lying world of consistency which is more adequate to the needs of the human mind than reality itself’ (Arendt 1973, 353). Moreover, it is precisely this ability to guarantee consistency that makes it possible for the leaders of totalitarian movements to demand ‘total, unrestricted, unconditional and unalterable loyalty of the individual member’ (Arendt 1973, 323). While this chapter is not a study of the social factors that led to specific contemporary developments such as the result of the Brexit referendum or the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Arendt’s ‘mass man’ seem to have found their counterparts among the supporters of Brexit and Trumpism. Studies of voters’ profiles in both events point to a disproportionate share of supporters from white male lower income backgrounds without university educations. These are individuals who have either already lost their jobs to globalisation or who are at high risk of losing their job with very little capacity to be retrained for the twenty-first century market economy of advanced industrialised states (BBC 2016; Pew Research Center 2018). In short, these displaced workers are part of the tapestry forming the modern equivalent of Arendt’s ‘mass man’ – ready to be the recruits of totalitarianism. Conclusion If we step back to take a more comprehensive approach to the relationship between truth and politics, both historically and theoretically, it is not so obvious that 2016 is a defining moment. From ancient China and ancient Greece to our so-called post-truth age, the indeterminacy of language appears to be a persistent political challenge. Language is always open to manipulation by its users to serve power. Nonetheless, the tendency these days is to single out the ubiquity of social media and the proliferation of Internet platforms as the incubator for the countless cyberwars of words that in turn fuel the real world of politics. In this context, language is no longer the conveyor of objective facts and accurate information, but rather the medium for expressing subjective opinions and feelings, as captured by the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of the term ‘post-truth politics’. In contrast, the historical approach used in this chapter shows that it is in fact too easy to point the figure at the Internet and digital communication for the political challenge that we face today. What is being suggested here is that with or without the Internet, language, be it used to convey facts or emotions, is simply a tool for communication that humans have invented. While language per se cannot adjudicate what is true or not true, what is right or wrong, it embodies such capacity when language is a shared norm. That shared norm cannot be sustained without some semblance of cohesion in any given community. Any war of words, irrespective of its platform, is indicative of the breakdown of such cohesiveness. Returning to the original context in which the term post-truth politics was first used by Steve Tesich helps to identify the important distinction between truth as the standard for knowledge and truth as the standard for action. The two do not necessarily coincide. Placed in the context of the history of political thought, this distinction is in fact at the heart of Plato’s Republic. Yet when the philosopher as the quintessential bearer of truth becomes king, the polis that he rules over is far from the ideal of a just state that it purports to be. Instead, it is one that is held together by lies and coercion. What Arendt reveals through her study of Nazism and Stalinism is that it is dangerous for the kind of truth that philosophy generates – ‘rational truth’ – to become the guide to politics. Politics guided by rational truth can only be uncompromising and follows a logic of its own that cannot afford the ambiguity and indeterminacy of reality as lived experiences of humans. A world of post-truth politics can be an opportunity for a new kind of politics if it is indeed about dismantling the idea that truth is the ideal that politics should strive for. But as it stands, the post-truth politics of today is more about invoking a past that never exists to judge the presence as a crisis in naming when the real crisis is about rebuilding a shared space that has room for all – be they of the left, right or centre; cosmopolitan or parochial; civic-minded or self-centred; liberal-minded or bigoted. Politics is and always will be about striving for that space, without which no human can thrive. References Arendt, Hannah. 1958. The Human Condition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Arendt, Hannah. 1973. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Rev. ed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Arendt, Hannah. 1977. “Truth and Politics.” In Between Past and Future, 227–264. New York: Penguin Books. Arendt, Hannah. 1982. Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy, edited by Ronald Beiner. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 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Tesich, Steve. 1992. “Watergate Syndrome: A Government of Lies.” The Nation: 12-14. January 6/13, 1992. Thucydides. 1972. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Rex Warner. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books. Wolin, Sheldon. 2004. Politics and Vision: Continuity and Innovation in Westen Political Thought. Expanded Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Zerilli, Linda M. G. 2020. ‘Fact-Checking and Truth-Telling in an Age of Alternative Facts.’ Le foucaldien 6, no. 1: 2, 1–22. Theresa Man Ling Lee is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Guelph (Canada). Lee is a political theorist who specializes in contemporary political thought. Her research and teaching areas include continental philosophy, Marxism and critical theory, feminism, postmodernism, philosophy of social science, psychoanalysis, multiculturalism, human rights, disability studies, modern Chinese political thought and comparative political theory. Lee has published on a wide range of subjects in these areas, including intercultural pedagogy and the challenges of teaching as a person with multiple minority designations in a Canadian university classroom.