Truth is Dead
During an interview, President Trump’s personal lawyer made a profound statement that “Truth isn’t truth.” Mr. Giuliani was attempting to argue that truths are subjective that they depend on the individuals experiencing them; the subtext, of course, is that President Trump is not guilty and is being unfairly targeted by the Mueller investigation. In the case of the Russian probe, he argues that the Mueller investigation places Donald Trump’s word that he “didn’t talk about Flynn with Comey” against James Comey’s, former FBI director, word that he did. Regardless of the actual facts, this discussion highlights Trumps powerful rhetoric and makes the case that Truth, for the purpose of argumentation, does not exist. President Trump seems to be unconcerned with factual evidence; instead, he builds his support around his presence. Through this process, he makes truth irrelevant. Using his position, he is able to create an alternative reality where everything he says is true and everything his opponents say is fake news. His rhetoric is best explained by looking to the works of Chaim Perelman and Louise Karon.
Chaim Perelman’s “The New Rhetoric: A Theory of Practical Reasoning” focuses on integrating the theory of argumentation with modern movements. Perelman’s fundamental point is that argumentation discovers truth through building consensus. The audience increases in importance because the rhetoric takes place in the creation of the most real reality. Thus, debate is the act of trying to manipulate the audience into identifying with the reality of the debaters. Objectivity exists only through consensus which is always a normative construction. Trump is a master of manipulating reality. His rhetoric does not rely on the use of logic or other ancient principles of argumentation. Instead, his control of the news cycle allows him to literally create new truths. He is able to announce that illegal immigrants voted in the election. This causes the news to report of what he’s said, allowing for readers of that news to perceive it as the truth. He is able to convince his audience to live/see the world that he is creating. Thus, he can convince white middle class families that immigrants are a danger.
Louise Karon builds upon Perelman’s principles by focusing on his idea of presence. Presence can be seen as the things that make the audience perceive, conceive, discriminate and remember the ideas set forth by the speaker. She highlights that presence is psychological; it is independent of the legitimacy of the arguments created by the debater. One of the major principles is that it fixes the attention of the audience. Trump is very successful at maintaining an eye catching persona. He uses his vulgar language to distinguish himself from his opponents and appear to understand the common people. He draws attention away from any inaccuracies he makes by convincing people that he is right without needing to prove so. The Trump Presidency highlights a world where truth isn’t just subjective it is entirely normative and the majority of the nation is willing to be convinced by Donald Trump’s reality.
Reading list:
Davies, William. “The Age of Post-Truth Politics.” New York Times, August 24, 2018.
Gomez, Melissa. “Giuliani Says ‘Truth Isn’t Truth’ in Defense of Trump’s Legal Strategy.” New York Times, August 19, 2018.
Kalb, Marvin. “Trump’s Troubling Relationship with the Press.” Brookings Institute, February 21, 2017.
Ross, Janell. “Just How Unique Is the Political Rhetoric of the Donald Trump Era?” The Washington Post, December 7, 2015.
Chaim Perelman. “The New Rhetoric: A Theory of Practical Reasoning.” In Professing the New Rhetorics: A Sourcebook, edited by Theresa Enos and Stuart C. Brown. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1994.
Louise A. Karon. Presence in ‘The New Rhetoric.’ Philosophy & Rhetoric, 9 (2), 1976, pp. 96-111. (BB)
Chaim Perelman’s “The New Rhetoric: A Theory of Practical Reasoning” focuses on integrating the theory of argumentation with modern movements. Perelman’s fundamental point is that argumentation discovers truth through building consensus. The audience increases in importance because the rhetoric takes place in the creation of the most real reality. Thus, debate is the act of trying to manipulate the audience into identifying with the reality of the debaters. Objectivity exists only through consensus which is always a normative construction. Trump is a master of manipulating reality. His rhetoric does not rely on the use of logic or other ancient principles of argumentation. Instead, his control of the news cycle allows him to literally create new truths. He is able to announce that illegal immigrants voted in the election. This causes the news to report of what he’s said, allowing for readers of that news to perceive it as the truth. He is able to convince his audience to live/see the world that he is creating. Thus, he can convince white middle class families that immigrants are a danger.
Louise Karon builds upon Perelman’s principles by focusing on his idea of presence. Presence can be seen as the things that make the audience perceive, conceive, discriminate and remember the ideas set forth by the speaker. She highlights that presence is psychological; it is independent of the legitimacy of the arguments created by the debater. One of the major principles is that it fixes the attention of the audience. Trump is very successful at maintaining an eye catching persona. He uses his vulgar language to distinguish himself from his opponents and appear to understand the common people. He draws attention away from any inaccuracies he makes by convincing people that he is right without needing to prove so. The Trump Presidency highlights a world where truth isn’t just subjective it is entirely normative and the majority of the nation is willing to be convinced by Donald Trump’s reality.
Reading list:
Davies, William. “The Age of Post-Truth Politics.” New York Times, August 24, 2018.
Gomez, Melissa. “Giuliani Says ‘Truth Isn’t Truth’ in Defense of Trump’s Legal Strategy.” New York Times, August 19, 2018.
Kalb, Marvin. “Trump’s Troubling Relationship with the Press.” Brookings Institute, February 21, 2017.
Ross, Janell. “Just How Unique Is the Political Rhetoric of the Donald Trump Era?” The Washington Post, December 7, 2015.
Chaim Perelman. “The New Rhetoric: A Theory of Practical Reasoning.” In Professing the New Rhetorics: A Sourcebook, edited by Theresa Enos and Stuart C. Brown. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1994.
Louise A. Karon. Presence in ‘The New Rhetoric.’ Philosophy & Rhetoric, 9 (2), 1976, pp. 96-111. (BB)
Comments
Post a Comment