Philosophy & Rhetoric Dec 2018

Post-truth as Symptom: The Emergence of a Masculine Hysteria

Jason David Myres University of Georgia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the formal dimensions of “post-truth” as a discourse. Specifically, I read post-truth as symptom, not as an “era” or “world.” The emergence of this symptom, the post-truth signifier, directs our attention to an anxiety regarding the desire for truth, rather than its presence or absence in public discourse. Based on Jacques Lacan's theory of discourse in Seminar XVII: The Other Side of Psychoanalysis, I argue that the emergence of the term “post-truth” in the popular vernacular epitomizes a masculinized discourse of hysteria. To outline the formal features of post-truth discourse, I draw upon an early use of the term “post-truth” in a 1992 article of the Nation written by screenwriter and playwright Steve Tesich. The article concludes by consulting the critical psychoanalytic writings of Hélène Cixous and Luce Irigaray to better specify the uniquely masculine form of post-truth hysteria and its implications for public discourse.

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2018-12-01
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.51.4.0392
Open Access
Closed
Topics
public rhetoric

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Jenkins (2024)
    Rhetoric Is Dead? The Fear of Stasis Behind Post-Truth Rhetoric
    Philosophy & Rhetoric

Cites in this index (2)

  1. Fuller (2017)
    The Post-Truth About Philosophy and Rhetoric
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
  2. Goodstein (2017)
    Money, Relativism, and the Post-Truth Political Imaginary
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
Also cites 8 works outside this index ↓
  1. Copjec, Joan. 2002. Imagine There's No Woman: Ethics and Sublimation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
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  2. Derrida, Jacques. 1987. The Post Card: From Socrates to Freud and Beyond. Trans. Alan Bass. Chicago: Universi…
     ↗
  3. Feltham, Oliver. 2006. “Enjoy Your Stay: Structural Change in Seminar XVII.” In Jacques Lacan and the Other S…
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  4. Moi, Toril. 1990. “Representation of Patriarchy: Sexuality and Epistemology in Freud's Dora.” In In Dora's Ca…
     ↗
  5. Nealon, Jeffrey T. 2017. “Jokes and the Performative in Austin and Derrida; or, The Truth Is a Joke?” Cultura…
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  6. Ott, Brian. 2017. “The Age of Twitter: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of Debasement.” Critical Studies in M…
     ↗
  7. Ramas, Maria. 1990. “Freud's Dora, Dora's Hysteria.” In In Dora's Case: Freud–Hysteria–Feminism, 2nd ed., ed.…
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  8. Zupančič, Alenka. 2006. “When Surplus Enjoyment Meets Surplus Value.” In Jacques Lacan and the Other Side of …
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →

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