SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Start " 9,755 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Booming Business: Atlanta Firm Creates Cleaner Way to Sop Up Oil Spills
After the Deepwater Horizon spill, o-founder and CEO Sudhir Sharma, a Georgia Tech Ph.D. and chemical engineer, started wrestling with how to actually clean up spilled oil instead of just moving the problem from the ocean to the landfill.
'It will be a tricky game'
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says he expects a "tricky game" against Championship side Norwich City in the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening, and has hinted at rotating his starting XI. Maresca confirmed he will hand goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli his first competitive appearance for the club since signing from Marseille in the summer.
Lena Dunham welcomes her first baby via surrogacy
(CNN) — Actress and writer Lena Dunham and her husband Luis Felber have welcomed a baby daughter via surrogate.Writing in an op-ed published by Vogue on Wednesday, Dunham, 40, who is best known as the creator of hit TV series “Girls,” revealed that the couple’s first child had arrived 13 days late, before describing the moment of her birth.“I was so focused on our surrogate — in awe at her concentration, her period of quiet followed by what sounded like a roar — I forgot to look down until I heard our baby’s cry,” she wrote.“I saw her face, gasping just as she did. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, taking in the light and shadow, blinking rapidly.”Dunham said she was “bashful and dizzy with joy.”In 2018, Dunham revealed that she’d had a hysterectomy in an attempt to end the pain caused by endometriosis.Endometriosis is a common and often painful condition that happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus itself. It’s estimated to affect more than 11% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 across the United States.The surgery removed her cervix and uterus, meaning that she was unable to conceive naturally.On meeting her surrogate, Dunham wrote in the Vogue piece: “While I’ve been known to make friends quickly — airport terminals, veterinary offices — this was the quickest leap from first coffee to gynecological procedure I’d ever done.”Dunham said in the months before the embryo transfer date, as she “got to know our surrogate and to trust her,” she thought she would feel “jealousy” towards her, but she did not.“Instead, I felt a different kind of jealousy — toward said baby, for the chance to be tucked into someone who radiated such safety. I could just tell she knew how to steer an SUV in the snow,” Dunham added.The pregnancy came after “12 years circling the fertility drain,” Dunham wrote, and revealed how she dealt with the nerves of the intervening months.“Powerless and unable to feel the physical changes that signal a growing fetus, I horrified friends and family who adhere to the Jewish superstition prohibiting anticipatory purchases, and I started shopping,” said Dunham, before recounting her journey into the world of baby fashion.“I was looking for garments that allowed her personality to develop and express itself rather than announcing an identity she didn’t yet have,” she said.“She would be a person that we helped to dress, who made an impression on the world based on our choices, until she was old enough to do it herself.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.THE-CNN-WIRE (TM) & © 2026 CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC., A TIME WARNER COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Celtic vs Ferencvaros – Match preview and team news
Celtic is set to host Ferencvaros in their opening Europa League fixture on Thursday at Celtic Park.Martin O’Neill’s men will look to start their European campaign on a strong note after their rec...
A Sports Memorabilia Startup Let Fans Own a Piece of History. Then the Business Vanished
Collectable offered fractional shares of iconic memorabilia. When a new owner took the reins, users say their investments disappeared—along with the assets.
Islanders Training Camp News: Barzal health watch
The Islanders open training camp — which are now shorter than past camps per the new CBA — with news that Mathew Barzal will not skate for all of it “due to aggravation of a prior injury that has caused some inflammation.” So we are starting the season with Barzal out, and on Health Watch. […]
Austrian bank Raiffeisen’s Russia business is ‘very active,’ Grizzly CEO says after short-seller report
Siegfried Eggert, CEO of Grizzly Research, discusses the short seller’s report on Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), which alleges that the bank was involved in activity that helped evade sanctions. A spokesperson from RBI told CNBC: “We stand by the strength of our compliance systems, which have been reviewed many times - both prior to and since the start of the full scale invasion." They added that there are "a number of factual wrong and misleading statements.”
'Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom' review: A baa-rilliant start to Halloween season
Get spooky with Shaun the Sheep.
Celtic owe the supporters after Ibrox shocker says Colby Donovan
Celtic defender Colby Donovan has insisted that he and his fellow teammates owe the supporters big time after Sunday’s loss at Ibrox, and aims to start with a win over Ferencvaros in the Europa Leag...
The Rise Of The Mompreneur Micro-Business: Monetizing Home-Grown Expertise
See how moms turn parenting and career skills into a mompreneur micro-business, with earning ranges and simple steps to start without quitting your job.
The science behind Florida football’s physical transformation starts with Jake Sankal
Nutritionist Jake Sankal is the science behind some of Florida football's body transformations. Here's how it works.
The science behind Florida football’s physical transformation starts with Jake Sankal
Nutritionist Jake Sankal is the science behind some of Florida football's body transformations. Here's how it works.
Valakari reveals chats helped Taylor and Finlayson
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has revealed that Taylor Steven explored his options away from McDiarmid Park this summer before the 21-year-old winger earned a starting place for the last three matches. St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has admitted that he felt the need to have a "strong conversation" with Daniel Finlayson after leaving the 25-year-old defender out his side for three games before his return against Celtic.
3 Health Care Stocks Built For Higher Rates
When the Federal Reserve lifts rates and signals they may stay elevated for years, the easy-growth playbook breaks. Cash flows today matter more than promises tomorrow, and investors start to care a lot about balance sheet strength, pricing power and dependable dividends. This article walks through three large cap quality defensive stocks that screen well under those rules and explains how the latest Fed move could affect each one. The three stocks below are a sample of what this quality...
Why dealing with defeat is key for Lampard at Coventry
BBC Sport columnist Tony Pulis explains why Coventry boss Frank Lampard needs to manage himself as well as his players after their poor start to the season.
Saints Lose 10-Year Starter to Month-Long Surprise Injury
The New Orleans Saints are already working on bouncing back from a loss to begin the 2026 NFL season. They certainly didn’t need such negative injury news to emerge Wednesday night. Turns out that one of the Saints’ most reliable players is going to have to miss an extended length of time. According to ESPN’s […] The post Saints Lose 10-Year Starter to Month-Long Surprise Injury appeared first on HEAVY.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Outlook After Kyler Murray Injury
The concussion to Minnesota Vikings starting QB Kyler Murray will likely mean Carson Wentz starts against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, though nothing is official. Meanwhile, J.J. McCarthy will be the backup if Wentz starts against Chicago.McCarthy will need to be ready to enter the game at any point, given what happened to Murray […] The post Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Outlook After Kyler Murray Injury appeared first on HEAVY.
Georgia Tech vs Mercer Prediction: The Yellow Jackets Need This
After a 0-2 start and with the ACC schedule starting, Georgia Tech desperately needs a big win to get the season going. Here's the CFN preview and prediction.
Bills Get Good News on Starting Linebacker After Injury Scare
The Buffalo Bills cleared linebacker Terrel Bernard to play against the Detroit Lions. The post Bills Get Good News on Starting Linebacker After Injury Scare appeared first on HEAVY.
Hurricanes Training Camp starts Thursday—Storylines to watch
The defending champs don’t have many questions—but a couple big ones
Winnipeg Jets Turn Heads With Unexpected Connor Hellebuyck Decision
The Winnipeg Jets are set to start Training Camp without the attendance of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who had publicly requested a trade late last month. By all reports, Hellebuyck isn’t going to report for the start of Camp.And now, those reports have been confirmed with what the Jets have announced just minutes ago.The Winnipeg Jets […] The post Winnipeg Jets Turn Heads With Unexpected Connor Hellebuyck Decision appeared first on HEAVY.
Logan Henderson celebrated the clinch responsibly with a start looming
Logan Henderson enjoyed celebrating the Brewers' Central Division clinch, but not too much as he had to prepare for Wednesday's start vs. the Pirates.
Gering adds zoning restrictions for adult entertainment enterprises
The Gering City Council this week approved a zoning ordinance that would limit where adult entertainment businesses could operate in the community. At the start of a public hearing Monday on the…
Gering adds zoning restrictions for adult entertainment enterprises
The Gering City Council this week approved a zoning ordinance that would limit where adult entertainment businesses could operate in the community. At the start of a public hearing Monday on the…
Ethan Hawke terrific in this scrappy, depression era, wilderness thriller
While it gets off to a rough start, Padraic McKinley’s “The Weight” is in the vein of a Scott Cooper (“Hostiles”) or Justin Kurzel (“The Order”) film. Brooding, grey nature
Louisville Kings celebrate UFL title: 'The party's just getting started'
The Louisville Kings returned to Lynn Family Stadium to celebrate their UFL championship. "The party's just getting started," coach Chris Redman said.
Abendzeitung names Bayern Munich’s hottest young prospects to emerge
Despite difficult start for Bayern II, several young talents are making a strong impression at the club's academy.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield Gets Candid on Facing Browns Again
Week 2 will mark the second time that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield will face the Cleveland Browns after the team drafted him first overall and traded him after his fourth NFL season. However, it will be his first time as the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, and the first time since he signed two significant […] The post Bucs QB Baker Mayfield Gets Candid on Facing Browns Again appeared first on HEAVY.
Pair of Packers Starters Suddenly Land in Concussion Protocol
The Green Bay Packers hit the practice field on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets. They will look to bounce back from a disappointing season opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It won’t be easy, as Green Bay will be back on the road once again, and the […] The post Pair of Packers Starters Suddenly Land in Concussion Protocol appeared first on HEAVY.
Marietta/Belpre Health Department hosting ‘Diaper Drive’ to support families
MARIETTA – The Marietta/Belpre Health Department is hosting a “Diaper Drive” through Sept. 30 to further its diaper bank program started in May, and will support local families and organizations that provide diapers to those in need. Donations are accepted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 304 Putnam St. Cammie Loane, registrar and financial […]
Marlins’ Gusto Looks to Build on Career-Long Start
Ryan Gusto will try to carry the momentum from his best start of the season into Wednesday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Gusto will make his 17th start (22nd appearance) of the season and second career start against the Diamondbacks. He allowed three hits and a walk wh
Blake Snell exits Dodgers game because of injury
Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell left his start against the Reds on Wednesday with left groin tightness.
Carrick accepts blame for Manchester United's League Cup exit
Michael Carrick took responsibility for Manchester United's embarrassing League Cup collapse to Brighton and demanded a reaction after his side were booed off the pitch at Old Trafford. An evening that began with teenager Shea Lacey marking his first senior start with a dream goal and Mason Mount adding a second in the 10th minute ended in furious fans unloading at full-time.
Michael Carrick takes the blame for ‘unacceptable’ Man United loss
United blew a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford for the first time since 1976 as Brighton fought back to knock them out of the Carabao Cup and compound their disastrous start to the season
Sports Spotlight: Nate Stevenson
Nate Stevenson’s football roots run deep in Dickinson. From growing up around Dickinson State football to leading Dickinson High to a 3-0 start this season, the senior quarterback is now helping shape the next generation of Mavericks.
Stacy’s Streamers: Four Players to Start in Week 2
Stacy Perez highlights one player at each position who is worth streaming in Week 2.
OutKick Adds Former Seattle Times Sports Columnist Matt Calkins
"While my decision to leave The Seattle Times wasn’t easy, I’m beyond excited to start this new chapter at OutKick." The post OutKick Adds Former Seattle Times Sports Columnist Matt Calkins appeared first on Barrett Media.
Detroit Lions Final Week 2 Injury Report Reveals Major Problems
The Lions ruled out two starting offensive linemen for Buffalo, while starting CB D.J. Reed is questionable for Thursday Night Football.
iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone Duo Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
Apple's new iPhone lineup asks buyers a new and challenging question: Is a foldable display worth feature compromises? Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively, there is now the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone, which starts at $1,999. All three are brand new, all three feature the same A20 Pro chip, and all three sit at the top end of Apple's lineup.
Deshaun Watson places blame after Browns disastrous start
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson deflected blame onto the media following a blowout loss to Jacksonville.
Vikings place RB Jordan Mason on IR with fractured thumb
Mason is listed as a co-starter on Minnesota’s depth chart and splits backfield duties Aaron Jones. He led the Vikings with 15 carries for 59 yards in Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers.
Veterans Put Military Skills to Work in Business: Entrepreneurs Share How Service Helped Shape Careers
Starting a new business can be challenging and intimidating. For military veterans who take the entrepreneurial leap, however, the training and experiences they gained in the service can provide valuable tools for success — along with some challenges of their own. Five local business owners shared their experiences transitioning from military service to entrepreneurship during
Sabres' Jason Zucker to miss start of season after sports hernia surgery
- Veteran Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Zucker is expected to miss the start of the season after having surgery to repair a sports hernia.
Deion Sanders refuses to settle for mediocre with Colorado football
Despite an undefeated start, Coach Prime demands perfection before Big 12 play while balancing a road test against Northwestern and a bold push for federal legislative reform.
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
How AI Is Helping Growing Businesses Take the Complexity Out of Payroll
As AI becomes commonplace in payroll technology, small- and mid-sized business leaders should evaluate how AI improves how payroll operates from start to finish.
🚨 Official: Brazil star injured, Martinelli called up
He is cursed with the national team.After a blistering start to the season with Chelsea, Joao Pedro was hoping to use the international break to prove to Carlo Ancelotti that he should have taken him ...
Chiefs rumors: Don't count out Tyreek Hill signing
The Kansas City Chiefs recently started out their 2026 season with a bang with a home win over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes didn’t look fully healthy in his first game back from an ACL injury, but it didn’t matter, as Kansas City’s defense and running game dominated throughout the evening. Mahomes will certainly want […] The post Chiefs rumors: Don't count out Tyreek Hill signing appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Another Injury Update on Toronto Blue Jays' Starter Shane Bieber
The Blue Jays have not been whole much of the season, but the former Cy Young winner is hoping to get them closer to that soon.
Sunny, the Obamas’ Portuguese water dog, dies at 13
Sunny, the Portuguese water dog who romped into the White House at the start of President Barack Obama’s second term and injected the mansion with playful — at times, too playful — energy, has died. She was 13.
A feature of the Obama White House, Sunny dies at 14
(CNN) — Sunny, the Portuguese water dog who romped into the White House at the start of President Barack Obama’s second term and injected the mansion with playful — at
Phillies Star Kyle Schwarber Sends Out Warning Ahead of Postseason
The Philadelphia Phillies dropped their opening game of a two-game series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. That made for four losses in their last five games, as the Phillies are starting to scuffle. As of now, the Phillies are 83-68. That would be comfortable in the AL, but in the NL it’s a much […] The post Phillies Star Kyle Schwarber Sends Out Warning Ahead of Postseason appeared first on HEAVY.
Leeds United thrive after formation switch
As the nascent Premier League table takes shape, the sight of Leeds United in third place feels like a throwback to the turn of the century, when they secured five top-five finishes on the bounce. The 4-1 home win over Newcastle United means Daniel Farke's unbeaten side have made their best start to a top-flight season since 2001-02 under David O'Leary. In truth, with eight points from four games, Leeds have been playing well for some time - and it can all be traced back to a bold change of formation by Farke almost nine months ago.
Day Game Bantering
The Jays and Tigers play at 3:00 Eastern. The Jays, either during or after last night’s game, decided to change around the starting pitching plans for the rest of the way. And, Max, no pressure, but you need to get us some innings tonight. I really expected some pitching moves this morning. I’m still expecting […]
Anthropic debuts Claude Docs, raising stakes for Microsoft
Frontier AI labs are unleashing products that compete with established software giants and startups alike
Ariel Helwani’s show is coming to Vice TV
Vice TV is adding The Ariel Helwani Show to its lineup. Starting Friday, Vice TV will serve as a linear partner for The Ariel Helwani Show, airing a weekly one-hour compilation of Helwani’s daily programming that leads directly into the network’s live sports coverage. “Our whole team is very excited to partner with Vice to…
Football Italia Show: Why Juventus don’t need Conte
Juventus have made a frustrating start to their Serie A campaign, already sitting five points behind leaders Inter and Roma after four matches and even if some fans would gladly bring Antonio Conte ba...
Could Tulane Be A "Trap Game" For Kansas State Wildcats?
After making the College Football Playoff last year, the Tulane Green Wave are off to a 1-1 start entering Saturday's game against the Kansas State Wildcats
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.
Florida holds steady in ESPN's latest bracketology update
With less than two months before the start of the college basketball season, the Florida Gators remain a top seed in ESPN's latest bracketology update.
'I didn't realise probably how good he was'
James Garner joined Everton for an initial fee of only £9m from Manchester United in 2022, having spent the previous season on loan helping Nottingham Forest get promoted to the Premier League. The academy graduate did not make a Premier League start for United. After taking two seasons to settle at Everton under Frank Lampard and then Sean Dyche amid a backdrop of financial problems and points deductions, the 2025-26 campaign proved to be a watershed moment.
Samsung starts rolling out Android 17 with One UI 9, confirms initial list of Galaxy devices
After months in beta, Samsung is now rolling out One UI 9, based on Android 17, to select Galaxy devices....
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.
How Parents Can Support College Students’ Mental Health
Discover ways families can recognize mental health concerns, start supportive conversations, and respond to crises in college students.
Start Small, Build Readiness: Putting Special Pathogen Plans to the Test
National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center
How to build the relationships your business needs to grow in Maine
Lisa Liberatore of Upstart Maine in Bangor offers practical guide for building business relationships in Maine.
Colorado VCs shift to hardware, defense tech as software loses edge to AI
Venture capitalists in Colorado are shifting investment from software to hardware startups, driven by AI's impact on code development and defense contracts.
North Carolina’s Southeast welcomes new Director of Business Development Savannah Taylor
Savannah TaylorSavannah Taylor, a career economic development professional, has accepted the role of director of Business Development at North Carolina’s Southeast. She officially started in the position on Sept. 14.“North Carolina’s Southeast’s success has long been based on strategic collaborative engagement and leadership among our team and with our partners, so a key aim was to find someone who aligned with those dynamics,” said NCSE President Steve Yost in a press release. “Savannah has strong experience for this position through her previous roles in local economic development, research, and policy development, and it became clear that she would be an excellent match in helping to advance the mission for our 20-county region. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the Southeast.”Before joining the Southeast team, Taylor lived and worked in Georgia as an economic development project manager for the City of Marietta and as public policy & research manager and research director for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She has successfully led public policy and strategic project initiatives related to statewide community development and has served on several special committees, including the Metro Atlanta eXchange for Workforce Solutions Research Committee and the United for ALICE Georgia Research Advisory Committee. “After previously working at the state and local level in Georgia, I knew I was looking for a local or regional organization as my next step,” said Taylor in a press release. “I wanted to find a highly collaborative environment, and that led me to North Carolina’s Southeast.”Taylor graduated from Georgia College & State University with dual degrees — a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in World Languages and Cultures. “I’m really looking forward to interacting with the organization’s partners and all of the local developers,” said Taylor in a press release. “Overall, I think I’m most excited for the new adventures with all the hiking and biking and everything else there is to explore in the region. I hope if anyone has any recommendations, they’ll share them!”
Dortmund teenager Karetsas is back in training after health problems in Champions League
Borussia Dortmund says 18-year-old midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas is back in training just over a week after he slumped to the ground in an alarming medical incident on his Champions League debut. Karetsas passed the ball to a teammate then signaled his distress to the referee before sitting on the grass during Dortmund's 3-2 win over Villarreal on Sept. 8. “Konstantinos Karetsas is back in team training as of Wednesday after doing individual sessions at the start of the week,” Dortmund said.
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
Nick Woltemade is set for his first Juventus start
Nick Woltemade has made two appearances for Juventus since joining them on loan from Newcastle United, and the German is now set to make his first start of the season for the Bianconeri.Juventus belie...
Notre Dame Defense Could Dominate Matchups Against Michigan State
Notre Dame's defense has been off to a hot start in 2026, answering a lot of questions we might have had about this unit in during the offseason. They held Wisconsin's offense to 13 points in the season opener and shut out Rice in the home opener last weekend. This Saturday night, they host the Michigan State Spartans in the battle for the Megaphone Trophy. Their offense, now under the direction of offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, has scored 30 points or more in back to back games. If the Ir
Ukrainian defence tech seeks new ways to scale up
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's defence sector has expanded several-fold, becoming a significant source of military innovation, especially in unmanned systems, counter-drone technologies, electronic warfare and AI-driven combat systems. But finding the funds and personnel to scale up and to reach international markets remains a challenge.Spurred on by the demands of the front-line, Ukrainian defence companies say they can develop a minor component in a couple of weeks, or major hardware or software solutions within a year. This is several times faster than the usual development cycles in the sector. Tencore, founded in 2024, is now one of Ukraine’s largest providers of unmanned ground vehicles, well exceeding the production of NATO members in this category. Odd Systems, a Ukrainian combat cameras developer founded in 2023, launched its first thermal camera in 2024. Less than two years later, it is developing the fourth generation of the product, one that has evolved into a full vision system.According to Michael Singer, managing partner at Verne Capital, a venture capital fund supporting defence companies in Europe, this speed is down to the short feedback loop between the developer and the end user. “Ukrainian companies develop technologies in close interaction with soldiers and military units, test them under real combat conditions and rapidly incorporate feedback into the next generation of the product,” he says. “Sometimes we need to react to feedback and deploy an upgrade within hours,” says Polina Tymchenko, the spokesperson for Himera, which develops electronic warfare-resistant walkie-talkies. “It means that, as a company, you have to have a higher tolerance for risk, and also design your products in a way that fosters those quick changes.”Getting a product deployed by a combat command involves no paperwork other than a purchase order, says Perry Boyle, co-founder and chief executive of Mits Capital, a Ukrainian-US investment group focused on attracting capital for Ukraine's defence tech sector. “New weapons can be developed and deployed based largely on handshakes.”Nevertheless, the speed of development is largely subject to the level of funding, says Iryna Sukhomlyn, head of business development at RMachine, a developer of unmanned ground systems. “Financial support needs to start much earlier, particularly at technology readiness level 3-5, not only when most of the technological risk has already been removed,” she says.In 2025, Ukrainian defence tech companies attracted about $129 million in investment, with the true figure likely higher given the share of undisclosed security-sensitive deals, according to a report published by the Kyiv School of Economics. These investments were primarily concentrated in the AI and software segment, as they are considered a lower financial risk.Scaling production is a major barrierAccording to Iryna Supruniuk, business development director at Odd Systems, proving a defence product in Ukraine is not the end of the development process, but the beginning of a continuous evolution, since operational requirements change rapidly. “Continuous iteration remains our highest priority,” she says.It's also when production must scale up, which represents a major hurdle. “Scaling production requires capital, manufacturing capacity, components, certification, procurement access and reliable supply chains,” Singer says. Scale-up is also hampered by demographic pressures, especially a shortage of young specialists needed to expand engineering teams. Companies have reported struggling to replace specialists lost due to Russian attacks, mobilisation and emigration. In order to meet this scale-up challenge and finance arms production, begun allowing defence technologies to be exported, assuming it has an excess capacity. It has also announced the creation of ten defence and weapons export centres across Europe by the end of 2026.According to Singer, a technology that has demonstrated its value under real combat conditions has a fundamentally different credibility than a product that has only been tested in a laboratory or training environment. But combat validation alone doesn’t automatically create an international business. “Companies still need access to foreign defence ministries and procurement organisations, international certification, financing for production scale-up and, in many cases, local industrial partners,” he says.Already in 2026, the EU has signed several agreements with Ukraine that aim at joint defence technology development and production. These include allowing Ukraine to join the European Defence Fund, signing a financing agreement under the European Defence Industry Programme, and setting up the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance.For Singer, it is important that European defence companies don’t just see their Ukrainian partners as technology suppliers, but rather as potential innovation partners. “Ukrainian companies bring speed, operational experience and an exceptional ability to iterate. European partners can provide industrial capacity, capital, established supply chains and access to European procurement markets.”Procurement possibilitiesWhen it comes to exports, the procurement and compliance processes involved require time, taking months or even years, and money. In other words, resources that small defence tech companies need if they are to improve and scale up their technologies. According to Sukhomlyn of RMachine, if the priority is to rapidly increase available defence capabilities, then the processes need to reflect that urgency. “If Europe wants defence innovation at wartime speed, its administrative processes also need to operate much closer to wartime speed,” she says, highlighting a need for support with certification, market access and mutual recognition of relevant testing. “Otherwise, we risk having excellent technology available but spending years making it administratively eligible to be purchased.”Related articlesRussia widens targeting of European research centresEU must support research managers in central and eastern Europe, says Visegrad fund headThis is a lesson Europe’s defence sector would do well to learn, Singer says. “Defence innovation needs to be organised around the speed and requirements of the end user, not around the speed of the bureaucracy.”Supruniuk says the European defence sector should rethink the balance between quality and quantity. “In many cases, a good-enough system available in thousands of units creates greater operational value than a perfect system available in dozens.”“For decades, everyone has been looking for that all-powerful, exquisite system that can protect everyone,” adds Tymchenko. “We see in crime that only scalable, dedicated, affordable solutions can actually defend democracies.”
Apple Had a Successor Ready. Does Your Business?
A smooth leadership transition starts long before the handoff — with documentation, shared decisions, and a successor ready to step in.
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.
Rays May Have Found Their Fourth Postseason Starter in Griffin Jax
Griffin Jax is making a strong case for the Tampa Bay Rays' postseason rotation after five scoreless innings against the Athletics. With Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta leading the staff, could Jax become Tampa Bay's fourth starter in October?
Dowman double sees Arsenal teenager match Wayne Rooney record
Max Dowman starred as Arsenal booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 4-2 win at Ipswich Town.The teenager scored twice on his first start of the season as the Gunners eased t...
The Most Anticipated Football Matches in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani football faces an unusual autumn. Sabah is entering the Champions League league phase for the first time; the national team has four matches packed into late September and early October, and the domestic championship continues around both schedules. Sabah Opens Its Campaign at Old Trafford Sabah starts the Champions League league phase against Manchester […] The post The Most Anticipated Football Matches in Azerbaijan appeared first on The Rugby Paper.
States Bet Big on Rural Health Startups, With a Silicon Valley Twist
States are spending rural health dollars on tech startups, betting that untested companies will succeed where doctors have vanished and hospitals have collapsed. Louisiana’s call for innovative technology drew more than 200 pitches, seeking from $250,000 to $3 million in seed money.
Martin O’Neill praises Colby Donovan’s ‘big accomplishment’
Martin O’Neill has heaped praise on young Colby Donovan, after the full back was named in Sebastien Pocognoli’s Scotland squad, a fine reward and great recognition after his impressive start to th...
Bazoumana Toure Deserves To Start After Impressive Cameos So Far
The Ivorian winger’s explosive pace and fearless directness offer the tactical spark Matthias Jaissle needs to revitalize a stagnant attack following Newcastle's bruising defeat at Leeds.
Olivia Mauch emerges as Nebraska’s lockdown libero
Olivia Mauch has taken over as starting libero in the 2026 season after tight competition with Laney Choboy, the previous starter. To start the season, the Nebraskan native libero has a team-leading 67 digs, averaging 3.04 per set.
Vegas Golden Knights Recall Juho Piiparinen From Finland
In a rather unexpected move, the Vegas Golden Knights have brought Juho Piiparinen to North America right after drafting him 29th overall this past summer.Piiparinen, an 18-year-old defenseman, started the 2026-27 season with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga, but now, according to CBS Sports, the Golden Knights have recalled him and state that he will […] The post Vegas Golden Knights Recall Juho Piiparinen From Finland appeared first on HEAVY.
USD’s offense rolls over Eastern Washington
VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) – USD football is off to a undefeated start following a 41-23 victory over Eastern Washington on Sunday. The Coyotes’ win over the Eagles improved their record to 3-0 for the first time since 2017. “We spent a lot of time in the offseason and obviously in fall camp, our main theme […]
Start crafting your scarecrow for the Scarecrow Trail
Straw-filled fairytale characters will soon cover Canton for the annual Scarecrow Trail put on by the Pigeon River Garden Club and town of Canton. Don’t miss your chance to craft
BCB After Dark: Who is the third starter?
The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks who should get a Wild Card Series start.
80 Austin police officers participate in 'Miles for Mental Health'
Starting in October, dozens of Austin police officers will begin an initiative to prioritize physical health and mental wellness.
Pena, Yordan Power Astros Past Royals 4-2
It was a Pena-Palooza. Astros 4 Royals 2. Fans were barely in their seats when Jeremy Pena started the night with a lead off smash, clearing the train tracks and putting the Astros on the board 1-0. For Pena, it was his 5th leadoff home run of the season. Pena would double down and […]
Dan Campbell Sends Blunt Message on Josh Allen
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell noted that the Buffalo Bills have a strong offensive scheme and a few strong skill players who make the entire thing tough. However, he did not mince words when it comes to what their goal is. They have to start everything by focusing on quarterback Josh Allen. “Ultimately, I […] The post Dan Campbell Sends Blunt Message on Josh Allen appeared first on HEAVY.
News We Love: Family turns daughter’s lemonade idea into growing weekend business
Sweet and Squeezed Sisters Lemonade started with a kid’s idea to make her own money — and now it’s selling out at pop-up markets.
FSU’s Path to Beating Alabama Offensively Starts in the Trenches
Florida State’s rematch with Alabama starts in the trenches, where improved run blocking has helped Ousmane Kromah emerge as a dynamic weapon.
New York Yankees Announce Anthony Volpe Decision During Twins Series
The New York Yankees clinched a playoff spot on Monday night and secured an 8-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the process.Getting the day off from the starting lineup was infielder Anthony Volpe, who the Yankees recalled on Sept. 10 following the injury to star Jazz Chisholm Jr.Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, manager Aaron Boone […] The post New York Yankees Announce Anthony Volpe Decision During Twins Series appeared first on HEAVY.
Bengals’ fast start should show up in power rankings…right?
Is the big start for the Bengals enough to get some power rankings respect?
Man says $9k business program failed to deliver
A South Florida man says he paid $9,000 to learn and start his epoxy flooring business, but claims much of what he paid for wasn’t delivered. NBC6’s Myriam Masihy reports
Fantasy Football QB Rankings: Who To Start Week 2?
Which QBs should fantasy players trust in Week 2? Tim Heaney offers forecasts for Week 1's best and worst quarterbacks.
Former Texas A&M star Edgerrin Cooper starts NFL season strong
Former Texas A&M star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper led Green Bay with seven tackles while adding two tackles for loss and a sack against Minnesota.
76ers' 4 High-Usage Stars Create Unique Dilemma
With so many players needing the ball, Philadelphia could have a rough start to the season.
Steve Scalise's top aide is leaving to start her own Louisiana firm. See her new job.
WASHINGTON – After nearly a decade as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s chief of staff, Megan Bel Miller is stepping down to start her own business.
Steve Scalise's top aide is leaving to start her own Louisiana firm. See her new job.
WASHINGTON – After nearly a decade as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s chief of staff, Megan Bel Miller is stepping down to start her own business.