(Post)Truth and Democracy

(Post)Truth and Democracy challenges the alarmist narrative of a post-truth era, arguing that our current democratic crisis is a symptom of late liberal democracy confronting the unintended consequences of its own technological and cultural progress.

This book cuts through the noise of digital anxiety to reveal how conflict, emotion, and disagreement are inherent to pluralistic societies rather than mere products of rapid digitalization or an algorithmically-fuelled populism. By analyzing the shifting authority of experts and the discursive anarchy of social media, Arias-Maldonado explores why objective facts are frequently subordinated to affective loyalties and group identities. Through a critical reappraisal of thinkers like Hannah Arendt and George Orwell, the book argues that the separation of fact and opinion functions as a vital regulatory ideal rather than an accurate description of modern practice. This work offers a realistic, nuanced understanding of how public debate actually functions in an era defined by disenchantment and the radicalization of liberal autonomy, moving beyond simple nostalgia for a more rational past.

Tailored for students and scholars in political science, philosophy, media studies, and sociology, this book provides a theoretically profound guide to navigating the complex intersections of truth and power in contemporary democratic life.