How Did We End Up in a Post-factual World? | The Doctor Weighs In

By: Dov Michaeli, MD, PhD

The belief in alternative facts, the hallmark of the post-factual world, arises from our tribal nature. It makes the world view of true believers internally consistent. Hence, it’s strength.

Lest we forget, our species is called Homo sapiens -the “thinking man”. We are supposed to be better than apes because, so the theory goes, we can “get into somebody’s head.” In other words, we know what other people know. We can attribute mental states such as intentions, goals, and knowledge to others.

So, you would think that a person of average intelligence would have no problem watching Kellyanne Conway or Sarah Huckabee Sanders (this list could go on and on) lying through their teeth-and figure out that they themselves don’t really believe the increasingly bizarre “alternative facts” that they are spinning.

That being said, apparently, about 30% of Americans apparently do believe every word they utter. They are products of our post-factual world.

How has this happened when understanding false beliefs is supposed to be one of the things that define us as H. sapiens?

Getting into someone’s head