The Lie Machine

Joseph de Maistre famously said, "False opinions are like false money, struck first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people who perpetuate the crime without knowing what they are doing." It is an important, but largely ignored, insight into how information moves within society. Like money, it flows around the system and its circulation is what gives it authenticity.

The makers of false opinions do not rely on their ability to trick you into believing something that is untrue. They are relying on your trust in the circulation of information to trick you into accepting false opinions. When you get change back at the store or get money from the bank, you just assume it is authentic. Similarly, we tend to believe what is circulating around because after all, everyone else seems to believe it.