In the post-truth context, the aforementioned political and sociological perspectives provide a detailed description of the shrinking space of freedom. In Foucault's account of self-care, a responsible practice of freedom requires a certain quality of attention paid to one's thoughts and the actual exercises practiced by the self on the self. It is the deliberate, mindful, and unwavering use of agency in self-care that allows for an ethical response to the passivity perpetuated by post-truth.
Post-truth refers to an attitude towards discourse in which the importance of facts is neglected in favor of appeals to emotions and personal beliefs. This paper will show that two key concepts derived from Michel Foucault's Hermeneutics of the Subject, stultus and flattery, bring to life the attitude towards truth. Unlike the more general character of the previous two definitions, the third one explicitly locates the post-truth stance in politics.
The concept of stultitia in Michel Foucault's Hermeneutics of the Subject sheds light on the matter. Due to a wrong idea about the relationship of the superior to himself, the subordinate gains power over him.
Navigating the Internet Medium
As with Federman and Paul Levinson, the influence of the medium is larger, more subtle, and carries unforeseen consequences over time. To cite examples, the message of the theater production medium may be its effect on tourism rather than the theater or music itself. According to Barichello and Carvalho, “the socio-technique of the digital age inaugurates new fissures between the poles of emission (centered within the mass media), allowing an infinitely greater number of actors to participate in the processes of production, distribution and exchange of content and information. ”25 The Internet and social media created a more complex communication flow by accommodating it all.
Tracing key shifts in the technological advancement of the medium, Paul Levinson alludes to the figures of the child, the voyeur, and the participant. The end of one-way communication by television companies and the introduction of technology that caters to the multitude of participants as they create and share content reflect the "more democratic" nature of the Internet. Seen in this light, the distrust of authority that characterizes the stance on truth mentioned in the previous discussion is now clearer and more resonant.
Due to the widespread availability of the Internet and the proliferation of information sources, the blind side of the media in equal news and commentary is well covered by individuals who have the platform to share their views. The inclusive and thus egalitarian environment of the Internet paved the way for what Simon Ravenscroft refers to as a "wholesale rejection of authority figures."28. Being able to respond quickly to a post with an opposing political position is made possible by the immediacy of the internet media.
The "democratic" character of the Internet medium eliminated the gap between the gatekeeper and the audience. Because of the degree of ubiquity and accessibility of the Internet, it has provided a proliferation of perspectives that carry a kind of cynicism—one that is abrasive and dismissive of established media organizations and their findings. The immediacy of the Internet medium coupled with the harsh realities of the political backdrop made the online environment conducive to emotionally driven arguments.
Taken together, these unexpected consequences create a conducive environment for losing control of the self and cultivating the post-truth attitude.
The Care of the Self
As such, this paper proposes to take up the matter through Foucault's discussion of the care of the self. The lack of self-control ultimately affects how the self views others and the world. To lose control of the self is to lose control of how one sees others and how one views the world.
While the post-truth attitude necessitates and sustains the loss of self-control, self-care is an attitude that necessitates and sustains the maintenance of self-control. To be watchful of what happens in the mind is to be watchful of the self. Third, the attention directed to the self by the self involves an associated set of exercises by the self.
Taking responsibility for the self directly addresses the loss of control over the self. The quality of attention directed at the self then determines the quality of attention directed at the other. 36 Michel Foucault, "The Ethics of the Concern of the Self as a Practice of Freedom," in Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth (New York, NY: The New Press.
In The Hermeneutics of the Subject, Foucault writes that self-care has become the primary locus in relation to self-knowledge. As such, the ability to care for the community derives from the ability to care for oneself without care for the community being the primary goal. The Hellenistic model was also discussed in Foucault's Technologies of the Self.39 Unlike the Platonic model, which prepares the youth to participate in politics, the Hellenistic model advises withdrawal from it.
The withdrawal of the self to the self should not be perceived as an act of cutting off.
Self-care in Practice: Mathesis
In light of the first movement of the Senecan ascent, I question what appears to be desirable. The act of tearing the self from the self necessitates a reassessment of the bias of the self. As such, it helps the self to turn towards the attitude of forming a proper relationship between the self and the self.
This extended movement of self-embedded reason and its encounter with the reason of others is vital in the interactions found in social media. The first movement questions the notion of patriotism that one holds or is influenced by. The third movement offers a panoramic view of the country itself and its notion of patriotism along with that of other participants in the digital world.
Expanding the sense of self as it encounters others is an act of opening human community to the sense of self. The flow of performances here should be understood as a passive encounter of the self with the surroundings. Integral to this movement is the question of the autonomy of the self in relation to what it has encountered.
Whether or not the self agrees with the statement, the practice calls into question the position prescribed or taken. As such, the exercise of evaluation and testing ensures that the point of view on an issue stems as much as possible from the self's own will. A sense of bewilderment is evoked in the self when it hears a sweet melody or watches an enchanting dance.
Whether it is for or against one's political view, it calls into question the prevailing feelings that such an encounter evokes.
Self-care in Practice: Askesis
The Internet medium's enhancement and acceleration of existing processes through its accessibility and immediacy makes it difficult for the self to prepare for its encounter with the content. Second, the kind of attention present in philosophical listening separates through the preoccupation of the self with the personality or disposition of which it belongs. The self is watchful not only of what is said, but also of the charm and influence of the person who says it.
The ear stands guard as it listens for the recipe's assimilation into its own ethos. Although equally important, this exercise does not help to concern oneself with the accuracy of the information being read. Taking the position of what is read, its value is weighed and tested by oneself as a warrant for action.
By doing so, it can itself gain a sympathetic understanding of the writer of the text or topic in question. In fact, the self reflects on what is being read, which the self does not necessarily agree with and which it thinks is embedded in the self's own character. Here the relational aspect of self-care is more prominent than in philosophical listening and philosophical reading.
In the process of writing prescribed principles of conduct for the guidance of others, the self also guides itself. Through parrhesia, the speaker remedies the misrepresentation of the self to the self that arises from being targeted by flattery. Hence again there is a sense of responsibility involved towards self and others when speaking philosophically.
The Care of the Self and Post-truth Politics Practice under Mathematics, which includes Seneca's Ascent.
The Care of the Self and Post-truth Politics The practices under mathesis that include Seneca’s ascent
As with philosophical listening, philosophical reading, and philosophical writing, what is being talked about must be seen as prescribed actions or principles of behavior. If it can be incorporated into the text or heard or spoken about in terms of prescribed actions and principles of behavior, the self can test its acceptability and consider how it affects the process of self-formation or transformation. The dynamic nature of shaping or reshaping the self breaks the relationship's grip on truth.
The self does not achieve a "full, complete and perfect relation of self to itself"73 at a fixed point. The Rise of Trolls in the Philippines (and What We Can Do About It).” In A Duterte Reader: Critical Essays on Rodrigo Duterte's Early Presidency, 231–250. Ethics Concerns the Self as a Practice of Freedom.” In Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth, 281–301.
Journalism, Verification Pressures, and Notions of Post-Truth in Civil Society.” Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 9, no.
