The term “parafiction” refers to an artistic performance or presentation that depicts fiction as fact. This idea has particular relevance for our current post-truth moment, in which Americans find themselves overrun with conspiracy theories, misinformation, and fake news.

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For a transcript of this episode, go to https://harvardmagazine.com/2020/carrie-lambert-beatty. 

Ask a Harvard Professor is hosted by Jonathan Shaw, Marina Bolotnikova,  Lydialyle Gibson, Jacob Sweet, and produced by Jacob Sweet and Niko Yaitanes. Our theme music was composed by Louis Weeks.