Could We Split the Difference?
Dan Carpenter
Doublethink, as defined in George Orwell’s “1984,” is “the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, while believing both of them.”
For example, the citizen-slaves of the novel’s Oceania were bombarded with the dual message that they were under constant threat of devastation from an implacable enemy while their own army was winning victory after glorious victory.
Real life in 2007 can be even more fanciful….
We’re assured that we’re winning in Iraq, and warned that it might well get worse….
