S02: History and Truth

• History and truth: Is history the best judge? Will truth prevail?
• History and literature: How can we read literature as a historical document? Is history a work of fiction?
• Seeking truth in (Chinese) history: What should be an ethic of truth? What are the stakes?

• Is misinformation an objective concept or subjective label?
  • Fake news vs. “alternative facts”
  • Propaganda vs publicity, etc.
• How does our language shape our thinking?
• How do we know what we know (or not)?

• Born on October 14, 1906, in Hanover, Germany.
• Studied philosophy, theology, and political science, influenced by Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers.
• Worked as a journalist and engaged in Zionist politics; fled to Paris in 1933 and to the US in 1941.
• Best known for “The Origins of Totalitarianism” (1951), “The Human Condition” (1958), and “Eichmann in Jerusalem” (1963), where she introduced the “banality of evil.”

Totalitarianism

Analyzed the nature and rise of totalitarian regimes, particularly Nazism and Stalinism, highlighting their mechanisms of control and the impact on individual freedom.

Banality of Evil

Coined the term while covering the trial of Adolf Eichmann; ordinary individuals can commit horrific acts without deep ideological conviction, simply by conforming to bureaucratic norms.

“It’s not just that power corrupts truth; truth seems incapable of resisting power.”

• What is Arendt’s point?
• How did truth change from the time of ancients to the modern age?
• Why do you think Arendt had such beliefs? Do you think she is right to think so?

• “Community, identity, stability”: Explain the mottos of the world state.
• What are sources of happiness?
• What is the Fertilization Process at the Hatching and Conditioning Center?
• Why are beauty and science angerous? What is the price that must be paid for stability?

• Parallels (and differences) between past and present
• Which novel fits China?
• Prophecies of future, products of history: How to read them as primary sources?
• What does truth have to do with it?
• Which values should govern our society? How can we decide as a society?

• 5 mins of free writing
• What’s dystopic about the world?
• Plot, name, setting, opening scene – write anything

Difficulties of studying misinformation and China:

• How to grasp China’s size, scale, and complexity?
• How to peer through secrecy and censorship?
• How to combat our own moral biases?