18/03/2014
In the search for the answer to the perpetual question, as to whether politicians are fools or knaves, the answer according to Dr Galeotti, University of Eastern Piedmont, is
probably neither.
Politicians do not lie in the classic manner of deliberately telling an untruth. Instead, the]y are practiced in the art of self-deception, so much so that when they utter an untruth, they themselves believe it to be true.
Self-deception, Galeotti says: "is a type of motivated irrationality - the art of believing something simply because it is desired to be true when evidence points to the very opposite".
Such "motivated irrationality" is, however, an essential tool for a successful politician. Normal human beings have developed intuitive skills to detect lying, sometimes based on recognition of facial signals known as "
microexpressions". Although they may not realise why they are not convinced, most people are not deceived by straightforward lies.
In a trade where lying is an essential survival skill, therefore, those politicians who have learned to suppress or modify non-verbal signals are most likely to be successful. But those who convince themselves that they are telling the truth have a greater advantage. This is a sure way of preventing conflicting non-verbal signals from being generated in the first place.
It has been suggested that skill in lying is one of the reasons why homosexuals are so predominant in politics. From an early age, many tend to lie about their sexual status and by the time they are adults, they are already practiced liars. This is said to give them a head start over their heterosexual competitors.
Failure to generate conflicting non-verbal signals is also a characteristic of the sociopath, which is why many politicians seem to display sociopathic tendencies. It is also why sociopaths tend to gravitate to politics. The ability consistently to lie with a straight face is an asset to anyone contemplating a career in the trade and, to sociopaths, this comes naturally.
As to the acquired skill of self-deception, says Galeotti, "The more convinced is a political leader [that he/she is telling the truth], the more convincing he or she appears. A charismatic leader is persuasive in proportion to his convictions and faith; a cynical, self-interested liar is more easily detected and can hardly become a charismatic leader".
This Italian researcher believes that it may be that those who go on to become the most successful politicians are those who have most developed the ability to deceive themselves and to believe their own lies.
Yet, nothing of this in the least surprising to us. We have said as much on this blog. But there are two sides to this coin. Every liar needs believers. So often, liars succeed because they are telling their audiences what they want to hear. Many untruths could be readily detected by simple research, but people do not make the effort (and often resent those who do).
Instead, they actively avoid the truth and seek out liars who will deliver them messages which reinforce their own beliefs and prejudices. Rather as King Charles II,
once observed to one of his courtiers, explaining the popularity to his congregation of a rather dubious preacher : "I suppose his nonsense suits their nonsense".
But the more sanguine of us have become used to the idea that politicians inhabit a land without truth. If we believe what they tell us without first seeking to establish where the truth lies, we have only ourselves to blame.
On the other hand, so many are willing to believe the lies they are told, that the liar prospers. Most people would in the main recoil from the truth, so much that there is no political advantage in "telling it like it is". Successful politics is about tailoring the lies to suit the preferences of the target audience. The more popular the lies, the greater the advantage there is in a land without truth.
