The crucible for humanity

Narcissism is the act of flattery you give to yourself. But is flattery a bad thing? Flattery can bring happiness and pleasure to people, including yourself. It is a crucial aspect of happiness, an essential element that sweetens human life. In fact, flattery can be compared to a spice that enhances the taste of life.

Some argue that being deceived is unfortunate, but it is actually much worse to never be deceived. Happiness is not solely dependent on truth but on illusions as well. Moreover, the human world is constantly changing, making it impossible to know and predict with accuracy. Therefore, we should be content with the conclusions that bring us satisfaction, even if they are false. This is why humans are naturally drawn to lies.

This is not my personal opinion; rather, it is a view expressed by Erasmus in his work "In Praise of Folly," which is considered the first humanist writing of the 15th century. Erasmus proceeds to tell a much more dreadful story, but I cannot bring myself to read it because it’s horrifying. It makes me wonder why I didn't recognize this earlier. If I had realized this in my school days, I could have supported fake news and become a respected and wealthy individual by now.

Nevertheless, Erasmus himself did not lead his life as a believer in folly. Thus, he must have believed or hoped that the truth would ultimately prevail over falsehood. Even after Erasmus, humanists, and Enlightenment intellectuals maintained that through the progress of education and mass media, the truth would overcome lies and deceivers and demagogues would become obsolete. However, considering the present-day world, it appears that folly is increasingly prevalent. While some people are placing their hopes on artificial intelligence (AI), there is no guarantee that it will not be influenced by data infused with flattery.

One area where such horrifying fake news is widespread and even regarded as credible is in the context of war. Politics, too, can be viewed as a form of war. For instance, a few days ago, there was an explosion above the Kremlin in Russia. Although the explosion was sloppy and feeble, and there is no concrete evidence linking the U.S. to the incident, Russia accused the U.S. of being behind it. This illustrates how people's preconceptions can remain unshaken, even if there is no basis for them. Why this war is increasingly becoming a measure of humanity's conscience and capabilities?