[nopassrecover]

Agreed this was well expressed, and I value this sort of reflection and cultural introspection, even if I lightly disagree with elements of the author's piece (that perhaps I'm wrongly overreading).

Per the well-expressed article, I agree there's a problem that lies can be bundled as truth through elegance (and I have strong views that there are broader forms of this, as the author alludes to, effectively style over/instead of substance, for instance in our ability to discern capability through hiring processes or overweight our assessment of the merit of ideas based on who expresses them and how), but I challenge (1) the premise that many situations are effectively represented by a singular "truth", in which case the representation of truth may be relevant even if possible to game, (2) that style / aesthetic is pointless (it might be "useless" for a definition of utility, but I contest a philosophical perspective that sees humanity and culture best exemplified by reductionism and efficiency), and (3) that style and beauty cannot be truth itself (stare at a painting that moves you, listen to a favourite song or one of the great works, look upon a beautiful scene in nature, or experience any of the myriad forms of love, and consider how that resonates with truth as much as any proof; indeed this last point is one of the themes across pg's work that still resonates strongly for me despite feeling increasingly detached from many of his other positions over time, and is well reflected by his book title of Hackers and Painters).

[chvgchvg]

I agree with the statement that there is no singular truth. Everything, especially in politics, is a bunch of shit on both sides, where it’s often hard to understand what is better. Usually, the truth almost always lies somewhere in the middle.

But many writers use hyperbole, exaggeration, and other literary techniques that push ideas to the extreme of one side; is that not pushing back on the idea that there is no singular truth?

Style is definitely not pointless, but I also would disagree with you that a painting carries only style and elegance and holds no meaning. I am often moved by a song by what it is trying to convey to me or the story it is describing. Again, without style, I would never listen to the song.

I do believe, though, that writers often put elegance instead of meaning into their writing for the sole purpose of getting popular. And this hurts our literature.