The Future of Truth

The fine line between truth and fiction is further blurred in this scattershot rumination from film director Herzog (Conquest of the Useless). According to the author, beyond mere factual accuracy lies the deeper “ecstatic truth” of art and culture. Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture, for example, departs from reality by depicting a mature, mid-30s Jesus and a teenage Mary, but resonantly conveys the idea of a Man of Sorrows mourned by a virgin mother. Herzog also explains how his own documentaries employ nonfactual inventions to give them added weight (Lessons of Darkness, which captures the apocalyptic aftermath of the first Gulf War in Kuwait, attributes Herzog’s own epigram to French thinker Blaise Pascal to lend it gravitas). On the other hand, Herzog is perturbed by AI’s growing capacity to concoct convincing disinformation and urges readers to remain vigilant by taking such steps as critically consulting a wide variety of online sources, especially during moments of political unrest. Herzog’s musings on these points amount to a familiar and somewhat fuzzy defense of poetic license, though fans will relish his evocative prose and riffs on instances of confusion between reality and fantasy (including UFO abduction stories, Potemkin villages, and a Japanese company that supplies clients with actors who impersonate their friends and family members). It’s a mixed bag. (Sept.)