THE RHETORIC OF POST-TRUTH

Abstract

There is a widespread belief that modern democracies, due to their organization, have institutional mechanisms that, like an immune system, are capable of eliminating dysfunctions, syncopes, and even the dangers that could threaten their own existence. Th e access to communication and the freedom of expression are important allies of democracies but, at the same time, these values can be diverted for purposes other than the general interest. Spreading alarmist news, messages that "reveal" conspiracies or na rratives that have nothing in common with reality represent the tools of those who stir the currents of nationalism for political purposes. My paper analyzes the phenomenon of post truth and its harmful implications for the democratic systems.