Are we at a series of global tipping points? Radio 4 explores the paradigm shifts that are taking place across the globe, from the arrival of the post-truth society to the potential departure of globalisation, taking in shifting demographic sands, the backlash against the political elite and pivot of power to the East along the way.
Are we at a series of global tipping points? Radio 4 explores the paradigm shifts that are taking place across the globe, from the arrival of the post-truth society to the potential departure of globalisation, taking in shifting demographic sands, the backlash against the political elite and pivot of power to the East along the way.
Are we really living in a post-truth world? It has been an extraordinary year for the concept of veracity. Brexit. Trump. Experts have taken a beating, facts have apparently taken second place to emotion and feeling. And what about truth? It seems like fewer and fewer people, whether voters or politicians, care what’s true anymore. Step forward the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of 2016: "post-truth". Is this just shorthand to help liberals make sense of a world they don't like? Or does it mark something more meaningful? Are we really no longer interested in truth or is our toxic political climate clouding our ability to agree on what the facts are? In a series of special programmes as 2017 begins, Radio 4 examines inflection points in the world around us. In the first programme, Jo Fidgen explores how our brains process facts when they become polluted by politics. Producer: Gemma Newby
