Confronting the Ideology Behind the Post-Truth Phenomenon: Outlining a Public Theology of Ultimate Concern

Abstract The neologism ‘post-truth’ was declared to be ‘the word of the year’ in 2016 by the Oxford Dictionary. It came to prominence in the presidential election of that year in the United States and during the Brexit referendum. It represents the eclipse of a sense of shared objective truths and h...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ho, Ben Siu-pun (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2021
In: International journal of public theology
Year: 2021, Volume: 15, Issue: 4, Pages: 533-553
IxTheo Classification:CG Christianity and Politics
CH Christianity and Society
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies
Further subjects:B post-truth politics
B alternative facts
B Ideology
B Fake News
B Paul Tillich
B Ultimate Concern
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Summary:Abstract The neologism ‘post-truth’ was declared to be ‘the word of the year’ in 2016 by the Oxford Dictionary. It came to prominence in the presidential election of that year in the United States and during the Brexit referendum. It represents the eclipse of a sense of shared objective truths and has become associated with terms like ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ – and, with reference to Covid-19, conspiracy theories. The purpose of this article is to provide a theological engagement with this phenomenon; it does so by making a distinction between two types of response in the extant literature. Moreover, it offers a critique on the basis of theories of ideology and politics and draws upon the theology of Paul Tillich to offer a constructive proposal.
ISSN:1569-7320
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal of public theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15697320-01540018