Patrick Clervoy is a psychiatrist, and earned his professorship from the Val de Grâce. He was involved in several important military war zones. He is the author of works on the phenomena of psychic trauma and of unconscious mechanisms of collective violence. Odile Jacob also published his book Les Pouvoirs de l’esprit sur le corps (The Powers of the Mind over the Body).
Would it be more uncomfortable for the human mind to admit the truth? How can the success of “fake news” be explained? How is it possible that established knowledge, such as the Earth being round, can be challenged?
What is the connection between current events as varied as the Jean-Claude Romand, Cahuzac, and Lance Armstrong affairs, or farther back in history, of the false Louis XVII or the emblematic Dreyfus Affair? Lies and their consequences are often dramatic.
In this book, Patrick Clervoy reveals the mechanisms of this constant in individual and collective behaviors. However, to detect a lie, to understand its role, one must be able to watch, analyze, and at the same time, doubt. This is not an easy task. To lead us onto the path of clairvoyance – this is the goal of Clervoy’s book.
In these times of post-truth and of counter-truths, beyond postures of indignation, it is useful to understand why the human mind appears so complacent about lies. A fascinating demonstration of our complex relationship with truth.