About the book

‘We’re not pessimists. No way. No fucking way.’ No matter how passionately we might argue for a better world, we cannot deny that, besides enthusiasm, a feeling of helplessness reigns. For the first time in history, nihilism has taken hold. Anyone can believe anything without falling through the cracks. Because no matter what you are, be it an antivaxxer, climate-denier, Marxist or neoliberal, you will always have enough followers in your bubble. Today it’s not truth, but enthusiasm that persuades. ‘People don’t buy what you do, but why you do it,’ is the motto of a TED Talk with more than 46 million views. And that is how it is: rather than by facts, we’d rather be convinced by ideas worth spreading.

Coen Simons warns against the consequences of an enthusiasm that dispenses so easily with facts. Because while enthusiasm goes viral, the truth lies somewhere in the middle – between gluten-free rubbish and fact-free bullshit.