Does truth really matter? Why? And what about lies — how should we view them? And when you have an opinion, what’s it worth? This course will review some major approaches to these questions, with a view toward their social and political implications, and proposing ideas for acting positively as citizens in a time of great changes.  Some questions are millennia old, some are just-torn-from-the-headlines: what does democracy need to flourish? What sorts of alternatives to democracy exist? What is "fake news"? Should we care about it and, if so, why? We will address these and related questions with a maximum of participant input and discussion. The course will keep a major part of its focus on how truth, opinion, and lies have impacted American political and social processes, and continue to do so. From the first week on, participants are invited to propose online-available materials to explore for class-wide and group discussion. 

Recommended reading: Books 7-9 of Plato’s RepublicThe Image, Ch. 2, ”From Hero to Celebrity: The Human Pseudo-Event” and Ch. 5, “From Ideal to Image”; Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Ch. 8, “The Church of Google.”

Registration deadline: Oct. 20