McGill Neuroscientist Discusses ‘Post-Truth’ Era at Law School

McGill University Professor Daniel J. Levitin warned individuals of the dangers of entering a “post-truth” era and advocated for better decision-making models in the White House, the courts, and the media to preserve democracy in a Wednesday lecture at the Law School.

One of Levitin’s key concerns is the prevalence of “alternative facts” in the national dialogue. In order to have any kind of fruitful discussion, all members must agree on the underlying truth, according to Levitin.

“I just want to go on record repeating what many have already said that there is no such thing as alternative facts,” Levitin said. “It’s just the kind of nonsensical, Orwellian double-talk that we should be afraid of.”

Levitin argued that political polarization could lead to the destruction of critical discussions.

“The developments of the last three months, I think, have showed us that if we’re not careful, we might just set things back 400 years,” Levitin said. “I’m not trying to be overly dramatic here and I’m certainly not trying to be political.”

Levitin emphasized the advances made in thinking during the Enlightenment, and warned that “alternative facts” run counter to those developments. He suggested that public and private decision-making should be immune to “superstition and rumor and innuendo.”

“The whole point of the Age of Reason is we’re going to use evidence and evidence-based thinking is what’s under siege,” Levitin said. “It seems as though [politicians] are trying to get rid of evidence-based thinking entirely by comments that evidence doesn’t matter and the facts don’t matter.”

At the end of his talk, Levitin explained that evidence-based thinking is part of the solution. Since information has become more accessible with the advent of the Internet, educational institutions should also teach their students how to evaluate a source’s legitimacy rather than just accept the information contained in it, Levitin said.

Last month, Harvard University Libraries published an online guide to “fake news,” which drew criticism from conservative groups.

James K. Bursley, a graduate student in the Psychology Department who attended the lecture, questioned Levitin’s perspective.

“I think Dr. Levitin discussed what is currently a very fashionable and flashy topic without any sort of reference or understanding of the historical context in which this discussion ought to be situated,” Bursley said. “People like Walter Lippmann and Edward Bernays very explicitly talked about the role of media being to manipulate public opinion in order to serve the interests of the elite.”

Still, Levitin rationalized that humility and curiosity can function as important safeguards of truth, quoting Voltaire, “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”