Plato and Aristotle, detail of a Luca Della Robbia sculpture. Wikimedia Commons
鈥淭rumpians seemed to insist that fake news was something new, but they鈥檙e wrong. Long, long ago - 26 centuries ago in fact -听Plato and Thucydides were convinced that the democracy was being fed a false way of seeing the world, that the intellectuals and teachers were duping the people.鈥
Like Trump, the two Greeks were outraged, however their contempt was directed at 鈥渢he decline and failure of their democracy鈥, rather than potential damage to their own personal brand.
鈥淭rump blamed the media and the university-educated elites and the deep state. Thucydides identified the culprits as Homer, the Sophists and a bad education,鈥 Associate Professor Field says.
While the consequences of Trump鈥檚 presidency continue to be debated, the ancient Greeks paved the way to an outcome that still frames and influences our thinking today.
鈥淧lato and Thucydides were desperate to replace the myths of Homer, the 鈥榝ake news鈥 of ancient times. Their replacement was science, a science applied to city and people. We call that social science.
鈥淎thens seems to me to be the one place in the world where one can sit among the ruins and feel not the end but the beginning of something. That something is a remarkable Western tradition of humanism.鈥
The American Humanist Association defines humanism听as 鈥渁 progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfilment that aspire to the greater good鈥. This is not what springs to mind when we think of the recent former American president.听
Associate Professor Peter Field presents a free public talk:听Fake news in ancient times: Thucydides, Plato and the expense of truth听at the UC Teece Museum, on 25 February at 7pm. Entry is free, but registration is essential. Go to听Fake news in ancient times: Thucydides, Plato and the expense of truth | 91制片厂. The Teece Museum is at the UC Arts City Campus, 3 Hereford St.
This talk is part of the UC Teece Museum鈥檚 2021 series of free short-format public talks. Sign up to the newsletter here听
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