The New Clarity: Awakening in the Post-Truth Era
New Formations October 1, 2023 J. Overwijk, Daniël de Zeeuw
The late 2010s saw a perceived post-truth crisis fueled by social media, fragmenting liberal democracy into antagonistic epistemic bubbles. Yet the same online movements driving this crisis became captivated by the idea of waking from a false reality to absolute Truth, from new spiritual fascinations with mystical clarity to far-right notions of a Great Awakening and red-pilling. This article argues that this 'New Clarity' represents the cutting edge of the post-truth predicament, intensifying postmodern cynicism and irony while breaking with them through new political-epistemic radicalisms.