SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " check " 2,732 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Best of Des Moines: 2026 Winners
As we do each year, we asked our readers to cast votes for what Des Moines has to offer in a variety of business-related categories. These people and organizations make up an ecosystem in our region that supports the local economy and the community at large. Here’s how it worked: You voted. We checked the…
Best of Des Moines 2026: Learn about this year’s winners
As we do each year, we asked our readers to cast votes for what Des Moines has to offer in a variety of business-related categories. These people and organizations make up an ecosystem in our region that supports the local economy and the community at large. Here’s how it worked: You voted. We checked the…
Health Insurance Will Cost A Lot More In 2027. Here’s How To Pay Less
Health insurance costs rise again in 2027. A physician explains open enrollment deadlines, the ACA subsidy cliff, Medicare drug plan changes and what to check by Dec. 15.
Mid-Michigan entertainment for the weekend of Sept. 18-20 and beyond
Check out what’s happening in town this weekend.
Seattle Seahawks injury report: Cooper Kupp upgraded
Check out which Seahawks players did not practice on Thursday or were limited.
Control Resonant review leaks before release date, praising performance and combat
One site broke Remedy Entertainment's review embargo ahead of the Control Resonant release date. The article gives a positive evaluation of the revamped melee combat. Performance in the open-world-like maps also impressed, but the storytelling may not enthrall players.
Pensacola area Week 5 scores and live updates
Week 5 of high school football is underway in the Pensacola area. Check this page over the next two days for live updates.
Fact-checking President Trump's N.C. speech
Some of President Donald Trump’s comments at a rally for North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley Wednesday are receiving some significant pushback, especially his remarks on crime and the response to Tropical Storm Helene.
'Trust me on AI,' oligarch's wedding gift, Jolly: Florida politics
President Donald Trump says nothing to see here in a scary artificial intelligence break out. Check out the latest episode of Inside Florida Politics.
'Trust me on AI,' oligarch's wedding gift, Jolly: Florida politics
President Donald Trump says nothing to see here in a scary artificial intelligence break out. Check out the latest episode of Inside Florida Politics.
Will Trump actually send out $5,000 checks after the midterms?
Polling says voters do not believe the president’s claims
50 New macOS Golden Gate Features and Changes Worth Checking Out
Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate this week, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system, improving performance, and nixing bugs, there are still plenty of new things to explore. There's an overhauled Siri experience, changes across Apple's apps, and much-needed updates across the system interface. In this article, we've selected 50 new features and lesser-known changes that are worth checking out if you're updating your Mac.
Gears of War: E-Day Has Gone Gold, Pre-Install Begins September 29, Full PC Specifications Revealed
Gears of War: E-Day has officially gone gold - check out the full PC specifications and when you can pre-install inside.
Two CT business owners plead guilty to millions in COVID program fraud
Prosecutors across the country took part in enforcement against 160 defendants responsible for frauds totaling $245 million targeting the Paycheck Protection Program, authorities said.
Fact Check Team: Smithsonian and Kennedy Center face scrutiny over politics
The Smithsonian and Kennedy Center are facing questions about the role of politics in America's cultural institutions during Trump's second term.
Free Play Days features two free Xbox games this weekend
Free Play Days returns with another selection of free Xbox games that Game Pass subscribers can check out for no extra cost over the weekend.
The Herald's weekly entertainment picks
Looking to be entertained from Thursday, Sept. 17, through Wednesday, Sept. 23? Check out the Skagit Valley Herald’s weekly recommendations.
Should You Buy PayPal Stock For Its Credit Business?
PayPal (PYPL) has gained 27% over the past three months while the S&P 500 returned 0.7%. Over the trailing twelve months, the stock is still down 18.7%, so the whole gain is recent. A gain that recent still needs an operating reason to hold, and management points to what PayPal lends, not to the checkout button.
Energy rebate checks fuel debates over politics and policy
Republican candidate Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called the checks “peanuts” this week.
Energy rebate checks fuel debates over politics and policy
Republican candidate Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called the checks “peanuts” this week.
Back-to-school vaccines can help Central Oregon families stay healthy this fall
With the school year underway, Deschutes County Public Health encourages parents and caregivers to check their child’s vaccination record and make sure they are up to date on needed vaccines.Vac
Eye on Scams: Louisiana business loses $18,000 to fake check scam
Scammers are sending fake checks to local businesses, tricking them into using those funds to pay people or businesses on their behalf.
WATCH: 865 Neyland Entertainment District & Hotel Fly-Through
Check out a full fly-through of the future 865 Neyland entertainment district and hotel project, coming to Neyland Stadium in the next few years.
Beauty and BBQ: Check out 6 Dripping Springs business updates
Read about recent business updates in the Dripping Springs area, including Pig Pen BBQ, Ziggi's Cafe and Texas Hill Country Diesel and Automotive.
From Backpacks to Checkups, AZ Blue Health Choice Supports Arizona Students Beyond the Classroom
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice (AZ Blue Health Choice) is working alongside community partners to help Medicaid families access the school supplies, preventive healthcare, and support children need to succeed both in the classroom and beyond.
Pork Producer and Packer Profits Slip in Tandem
Check out the Sterling Marketing Profit Tracker for week of Sept. 12.
NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots New, ‘Once-in-Century’ Moon Crater
It started as a routine data-quality check. But as Robert Wagner, a scientist with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scanned a giant Moon map on his
Health Check: The importance of quality sleep
Struggling to feel rested even after a full night's sleep? St. Joseph health breaks down why sleep quality matters more than you think — and how your sleep needs change as you age. 💤
Galaxy S27 Ultra said to get improved image processing for more natural looking photos
The Galaxy S27 series is expected early next year, and while Samsung has not shared any information, leaks and rumors have hinted at some impressive upgrades. The Galaxy S27 Ultra is now said to rework how images are processed for a more natural look.
Fact-Checking Designer Science: Casey Luskin on ID History Errors
I welcome Dr. Casey Luskin to a new and improved podcast studio for a sit-down, in-person conversation!
"They often don’t make it in the door": Wardogs studio Bulkhead check for "anti-crunch messaging" on prospective hires' social media, CEO says
Wardogs studio Bulkhead check prospective hires' social media for "anti-crunch messaging" and tend not to hire such folks, CEO Joe Brammer has said.
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. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2016. “Brexit vote: The breakdown.” BBC News, December 7, 2016. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38227674 Cao, Feng. 2016. “A New Examination of Confucius’ Rectification of Names.” Journal of Chinese Humanities 2: 147–171. https://doi-org.subzero.lib. uoguelph.ca/ doi/ 10.1163/23521341-12340032. Connor, W. Robert. 1984. Thucydides. Princeton: Princeton University Press. de Jonge, Casper C. 2017. “Dionysius of Halicarnassus on Thucydides.” in The Oxford Handbook of Thucydides, edited by Sara Forsdyke, Edith Foster, and Ryan Balot. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/ oxfordhb/9780199340385.013.17 https://www-oxfordhandbooks-com.subzero. lib.uoguelph.ca/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199340385.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199340385 Hyvönen, Ari-Elmeri. 2018. “Careless Speech: Conceptualizing Post-Truth Politics.” New Perspectives 26 (3): 31–55. https://www.proquest.com/ scholarly-journals/careless-speech-conceptualizing-post-truth/ docview/2204515132/se-2?accountid=11233. Hobbes, Thomas. 1839–1845. The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, edited by Sir William Molesworth. London: John Bohn. Vol. 8. Klinkner, Melanie. 2018. “Reasonable Truth.” International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics 14 (3): 393–99. doi:10.1386/macp.14.3.393_7. Lee, Haiyan. 2019. “When Nothing Is True, Everything Is Possible: On Truth and Power by Way of Socialist Realism.” PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 134 (5). Cambridge University Press: 1157–64. https://doi.org/10.1632/pmla.2019.134.5.1157 Lewis, Mark E. 1999. “Warring States Political History.” In The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC, edited by Michael Loewe and Edward Shaughnessy, 587–650. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Makeham, John. 2003. “Zheng ming (Rectification of names).” In RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism, edited by Xinzhong Yao. Vol. 2: 813-814. New York: Routledge. Oxford Languages, n. d. “Word of the Year 2016.” Accessed 19 August 2017. https://languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/2016/ Peters, Richard. 1979. Hobbes. Westport: Greenwood Press. Pew Research Center. 2018. “An examination of the 2016 electorate, based on validated voters.” Report, August 9, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/ politics/2018/08/09/an-examination-of-the-2016-electorate-based-on- validated-voters/ Plato. 1974. Republic. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. Indianapolis: Hackett. 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.
Survey: Will the Lions beat the Bills in Week 2?
Checking in with Detroit Lions fans in our latest SB Nation Reacts surveys.
PS5 Update Lets You Turn on Display Names, Adds Trending Now and Top 10 Views, and More
Sony has released a fresh system software update for the PS5 that makes a number of interesting changes. Check out the version 26.06-14.00.00 patch notes.
New Small Business Alliances Signal Competitive Positioning by 40+ IT and Consulting Leaders Across FedCiv, FedHealth, and DoD
In the GovCon IT and consulting market, some companies react to opportunities. Others shape the board well before the game begins. Mentor-protégé agreements fall squarely into the latter category. These partnerships are not administrative check-the-box exercises. They require sustained commitment, alignment at the leadership level, and a clear view of where the market is heading. […]
The Norfolk health service offering check ups at check out
The self-service machines at six chosen libraries, halls and supermarkets offer a free health check.
Free mobile clinic helps Topeka residents access health care
A free mobile health clinic is offering blood-pressure checks, screenings, and medical education to Topeka residents with or without health insurance.
An overhauled ‘60 Minutes’ sheds viewers in season premiere
Paramount’s overhaul of “60 Minutes,” and all the outrage that followed, did not spur many new viewers to check out the season premiere.
Buccaneers CB Morrison Gives Encouraging Signs in Week 1
Despite the Week 1 loss, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' secondary was strong, holding the Bengals' talented weapons in check. Will Benjamin Morrison parlay this success into a long-term role?
Fact Check Team: Are Americans rejecting capitalism or just big business?
With the 2026 primary season now wrapping up, socialism and democratic socialism are increasingly part of the political conversation.
Fact Check Team: Are Americans rejecting capitalism or just big business?
With the 2026 primary season now wrapping up, socialism and democratic socialism are increasingly part of the political conversation.
Fact Check Team: Are Americans rejecting capitalism or just big business?
With the 2026 primary season now wrapping up, socialism and democratic socialism are increasingly part of the political conversation.
Fact Check Team: Are Americans rejecting capitalism or just big business?
With the 2026 primary season now wrapping up, socialism and democratic socialism are increasingly part of the political conversation.
Want a chance at being the next winner of 'American Idol'? Check here for Louisiana auditions.
Want a chance at being the next winner of 'American Idol'? Check here for Louisiana auditions.
Want a chance at being the next winner of 'American Idol'? Check here for Louisiana auditions.
Want a chance at being the next winner of 'American Idol'? Check here for Louisiana auditions.
MLB Mid-September Check-in: NL Central
The Brewers have firm control of the division as we head down the stretch.
Science-rooted tips for optimal aging
September is healthy aging month and it's a great time to review your routine, make those doctor's appointments and check-ups, and make the simple changes that will make you feel better and age better. Amber Freeman, host of Bloom sat down with Physician Dr. Lauren Natoli who gives us a science-based approach to help optimize our lives.
NASA Activates Roman’s Primary Instrument, Checks Out Coronagraph
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the Wide Field Instrument, a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow scientists
Golden 1 Credit Union Expands Business Services Offerings to Support Communities and Economic Opportunity Across California
/PRNewswire/ -- Golden 1 Credit Union (Golden 1) today announced the expansion of its Business Services offerings, with business checking, savings and money...
Golden 1 Credit Union Expands Business Services Offerings to Support Communities and Economic Opportunity Across California
Golden 1 Credit Union (Golden 1) today announced the expansion of its Business Services offerings, with business checking, savings and money market accounts at the core of a growing suite of services designed to support California businesses. The expansion deepens Golden 1's commitment to entrepreneurs, sole proprietors, micro and small businesses, nonprofits and community builders across California, while broadening the resources available to businesses throughout the state.
Health officials encourage emergency preparedness
Henrico health officials are encouraging residents to take steps to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies as part of National Preparedness Month. Sept. 15 is Get Ready Day, an annual observance designed to promote emergency preparedness. Officials with the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts noted that the region has
Recruiting Roundup: OU win fuels massive recruiting weekend for Michigan
Saturday’s win vs Oklahoma was huge for Michigan Football, including for recruiting. Check out the latest recruit reactions in today’s Recruiting Roundup:
A Geekbench benchmark shows Apple's M6 has some unexpected competition
Apple's next Mac mini chip posts solid generational gains over the M5, but an early benchmark suggests the A20 Pro may be the fastest chipset Apple has shipped, single-core wise.
Tuesday ‘Dawg Bites Is More Valuable Than Not
Welcome to Tuesday, Bulldog fans! Paycheck games are now complete, alternate unis have been adorned to wow the recruits, (hopefully) the worst weather of the season is behind us, and we can now turn our attention to conference play. Head Coach Kirby Smart held his weekly press conference Monday afternoon, and he was consistent if […]
Chastening night for Newcastle
No side will relish coming up against Dominic Calvert-Lewin and this aggressive Leeds outfit at Elland Road this season. In fact, only Arsenal (52), Manchester City (50), Manchester United (45) and Bournemouth (37) have won more Premier League points in 2026 than Leeds United (35), with the Whites suffering just a single defeat across their past 13 league matches. Newcastle had previously made a good start under head coach Matthias Jaissle, following so much change in the summer, and were unbeaten in their opening five games in all competitions before this reality check.
📊 Check out the updated Brasileirão table after matchweek 27
Matchday 27 of the 2026 Brasileirão, which began on Friday (11), was officially completed this Monday (14).At Arena Fonte Nova, Bahia beat Remo 2-1, with Jean Lucas and Luciano Juba scoring for the T...
IOC visits Lyon amid leadership turmoil for 2030 Winter Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday began a three-day visit to Lyon to check on the progress of the 2030 Winter Olympics, which have been hit by a leadership crisis. And he has decided... following the governance tensions that have arisen in recent months, that it was time to bring in new leadership," Pierre-Olivier Beckers, chair of the 2030 Olympic Games Coordination Commission within the IOC, said in Lyon.
Roane County EMS partners with HopeNation for daily mental health check-ins
Roane County EMS is partnering with Tennessee-based HopeNation to provide first responders with confidential, daily mental health check-ins sent directly to their phones.
State prepares to send energy rebate checks up to $200 to eligible New Yorkers
Starting next week, checks will start arriving in the mail for 8 million New Yorkers.
State prepares to send energy rebate checks up to $200 to eligible New Yorkers
Starting next week, checks will start arriving in the mail for 8 million New Yorkers.
Roane County EMS partners with HopeNation for daily mental health check-ins
Program sends first responders daily text prompts monitored by licensed clinicians
Baltimore plan would send mental health professionals to 911 calls, cutting police involvement
Under the plan, social worker teams would respond independently to welfare checks, trespassing calls, and lewd behavior
From reopened favorites to new outlet mall stops: Check out 5 San Marcos business updates
New businesses and renovations are coming to San Marcos soon.
You’re going to pay more for health insurance in 2027 as employers see costs jumping for the fifth straight year
Health insurance costs are rising so fast they could eat into workers’ paychecks next year, according to a survey of 1,800 U.S. employers
6 great translated books to check out this fall
These recommendations include books translated from Spanish, Danish, Norwegian and more.
Trump's $5,000 checks turn politics into shameless vote buying
"Money is the mother's milk of politics," said Jesse M. Unruh, who in the 1960s was a powerful Democratic politician and speaker of the California State Assembly.
Steam Deck 2 plans remain unchanged despite the ongoing memory crisis, Valve confirms
The ongoing memory crisis has forced several companies to increase the prices of existing products or rethink plans for future hardware. However, it seems it hasn't changed Valve's plans for the Steam Deck 2.
Energy rebate checks up to $200 will soon be mailed to eligible New Yorkers
There is no need to apply or sign up, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
Apple Releases iOS 26.7 With Security Fixes
Alongside iOS 27, Apple today released iOS 26.7, an update to the existing iOS 26 software. Users who check for new software will see iOS 26.7 as the default update, with iOS 27 listed as an option at the bottom of the Software Update interface. According to Apple's release notes, iOS 26.7 includes security fixes, but it does not have any other features. Apple will eventually show iOS 27 as the main update for the iPhone, but that likely won't happen for a few weeks.
Republicans are squirming over Trump’s $5,000 check quid pro quo
President Donald Trump’s pledge to send every US adult $5,000 if the GOP wins the midterms has his allies performing rhetorical gymnastics in recent days.
Why Fear of Unchecked AI Belongs in Product Architecture
Years ago, sitting on-site with data science teams at large institutions, I kept watching the same scene play out. A model, sometimes a sophisticated one, sometimes a logistic regression somebody trained in an afternoon, would get promoted into a decision that mattered. Whether a small business got a loan. Whether a case got flagged. Decisions […]
Louisville rises in new AP poll
After an eventful week two in the college football world, the Louisville Cardinals are up a spot to No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. U of L’s Saturday opponent, SMU, checks in at No. 16. Here’s the poll as we prepare for week three: Others receiving votes: Washington 172, Florida 83, Boise […]
Howard Stern's Back: Taylor Swift Wedding, Ronnie's Summer & More
Check out the full episode on the SiriusXM app.
Detroit Lions road underdogs at Buffalo Bills in Week 2
Checking in on the opening betting odds for Week 2 Thursday night game between the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills.
Colts' Week 1 Snap Counts: Top Draft Pick Goes MIA
Check out the snap counts from the Indianapolis Colts' Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens to see how much (or how little) everyone played.
Sharon Regional Health: Employees to be paid today
Several employees at the Sharon Regional Health System hospital in Sharon reached out to 21 News late last week, claiming that they had not received their paychecks as of Friday
James Cook held in check in Week 1
Buffalo Bills RB James Cook handles 16 touches in Week 1 win
Wyman Duggan committee picks up six-figure check from Aubrey Edge ahead of potential Jax mayoral run
Rep. Wyman Duggan is expected to run for Jacksonville Mayor, and he just got a big contribution from the company of a local CEO who would like to see
Trump downplays the need to check AI development and says he doesn't want to cede edge to China
While acknowledging the need for some regulation, Trump provided no specifics about potential rules and attributed warnings about the technology moving too quickly and with little oversight to “negative forces” he did not identify.
Casio’s new G-Shock watch with step tracking now available in more markets
Following its Japan launch last year, Casio has now officially listed the G-Shock GBA-950-1A in the UK. Designed for runners, the watch features GPS-linked distance tracking, step counting, Strava compatibility, and 200 m (20 bar) water resistance. Plus, it also supports dual time zones.
KGW News
KGW is the NBC TV affiliate in Portland, Oregon, delivering the latest news, weather, traffic and sports for Oregon and SW Washington on TV, online at kgw.com and on mobile via the free KGW News app: on.kgw.com/app Check our channel every Friday for a new Oregon adventure from Grant's Getaways. Every week, look for a new in-depth political discussion on Straight Talk with Stephanie Domurat. And every day you can get headlines on demand with the Top Stories from our newscasts!
Trump downplays the need to check AI development and says he doesn’t want to cede edge to China
President Donald Trump is playing down the need for his administration to check the development of artificial intelligence.
Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra to get major display upgrade
Samsung’s Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra are reportedly set to receive M16 OLED panels, promising improved brightness, color accuracy, efficiency, durability and new privacy features. The standard S27 models, however, are expected to use older M14 technology.
Steelers start season with unexpected, but not surprising, field inspection
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney was one of the members of the franchise checking out the Acrisure Stadium field prior to the kickoff of the Week 1 game on Sunday.
Chimpanzees once used for vaccine research get health checks as part of long-term care
Chimpanzees once used in hepatitis B vaccine experiments are getting health checks at their new home in Liberia. The West African chimpanzees receive care such as teeth cleanings and X-rays
Prospect camp open thread: Pens vs. Detroit
Game to be streamed on nhl.com/penguins, starts at 7:00pm eastern. We’ll check back in after with impressions of the game, until then feel free to use this space to talk about the action!
Today’s famous birthdays list for September 13, 2026 includes celebrities Tyler Perry, Lili Reinhart
Tyler Perry and Lili Reinhart share a birthday today. Check out our list of celebrities and other famous people with birthdays on September 13, 2026, see photos and find out a fun fact about each person.
Clover Health (CLOV) Stock Looks Fairly Priced Despite Profit Turnaround
Clover Health Investments has staged a very strong three year run, yet the current checks still suggest the stock leans cheap rather than fully pricing in that shift in fortunes. The share price has returned about 3.3x over three years, which puts recent trading firmly in the high move bracket for this period. Profitability progress and Medicare Advantage membership growth can support the case for the current valuation, while higher medical costs and healthcare usage remain a clear risk to...
5 divided cartoons about the $5,000 Trump ploy
Artists take on missing DOGE checks, cash for votes and more
Hinge Health (HNGE) Stock Looks Overvalued On Earnings But Mixed On Broader Checks
Hinge Health stock has nearly doubled year to date, yet the latest valuation checks point to a company that screens as overvalued on market multiples and only delivers a mixed overall value score. For anyone tracking the recent rally, the question is whether the current price already bakes in most of the optimism around the business. Hinge Health is up 94.4% year to date, which puts recent buyers on notice that expectations embedded in the share price have moved a long way in a short...
LIVE! Watch Noche UFC 4 Post-Fight Presser Here
Now that the action is in the books from Noche UFC 4 earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 12, 2026) LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, fight fans can check out the post-fight presser for all the best reaction and official bonus winners. On a night that featured a main event clash […]
Health department to offer flu vaccine starting Sept. 14
The Oneida County Health Department is reminding parents that back-to-school season is a good time to check whether your child’s vaccinations are up to date. “Staying up to date on …
Health advisory lifted for popular Sarasota County beach
Health officials lift the advisory for a popular Sarasota County beach after new tests show bacteria levels within state guidelines.
Gallery: Take a peek at training for derby day
Check out the best pictures from Saturday’s training at the City Football Academy... Men's Team Subscribe to CITY+ for live audio commentary of the Manchester derby City make the short trip to Old T...
Dolphins GM checking out some top draft prospects on Saturday
The Dolphins are expected to have a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, so their general manager will be looking at some of the best prospects Saturday.
Stars snuggle with adorable rescue puppies at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival
Check out cute pics of Courteney Cox, Josh Hartnett, Sebastian Stan, and more!