Dějiny a doba postfaktická - Eseje, úvahy, glosy – Lukeš Igor (2022)

Igor Lukeš offers two poles of his perspective in his texts – history and politics. He studies Czech history of the 20th century with its disasters and myths, as well as today's political issues in our country, the United States, Russia, and on a global scale. He starts from the premise that we can draw lessons from history. While history does not repeat itself, with a sufficiently critical and value-based perspective, we can uncover our own mistakes and stereotypes, finding parallels between the present and the past that are not immediately obvious. Lukeš advocates for Western liberal values such as open-mindedness, tolerance, respect for truth, respect for others, decency, and humanity. He warns against the actions of those politicians and public figures who lie, deny facts, and thus create a 'post-factual era.' The book is a selection of the author's historical essays, political commentaries, and reflections on the contemporary world from 2004 to 2021. Thematically, the texts are divided into several areas where the author maps the era of the Obama and Trump presidencies, Putin's Russia, Czech statehood, the Cold War, secret services, and political ideas. In addition to knowledge and critical insights, the reading also provides a significant literary and emotional experience thanks to the author's style and commitment.