Why Smart People Fall for Lies: The Truth Crisis in Politics | Enrico Mayor Podcast #30

Roger Berkowitz — Political Theorist — Why friendship, truth, and common sense may be the only way to resist political polarization before it turns into something far darker.In this uncut conversation we discuss:• Why real friendship requires talk, trust, time, and mutual respect• The moral line between political disagreement and what Roger calls evil• How Hannah Arendt helps explain truth, lies, and power in modern politics• Why Trump’s rhetoric exposes both the failures and dangers of the liberal order• How common sense can be rebuilt in an age of cynicism, propaganda, and polarization00:00 - The limits of respect in politics01:00 - Roger Berkowitz on travel, lectures, and his new book02:06 - Truth in politics: Nietzsche, Arendt, and why lies work05:15 - Writing, Hannah Arendt, and tribalism vs cosmopolitanism08:17 - The origin story behind The World We Share12:00 - Inviting ideological opponents and the backlash that followed15:14 - What friendship really means: talk, time, and respect20:26 - Civic friendship and whether democracy can survive polarization24:03 - Hannah Arendt, Heidegger, and the problem of reconciliation32:23 - Trump, political support, and where Roger draws the moral line46:16 - Federal power, ICE, and the danger of militarized politics1:00:01 - Can Trump’s arguments be understood from the inside?1:08:37 - Real cases, deportation, and when politics becomes inhuman1:16:51 - Why Trump’s words don’t bind him and how contradictions hold power together1:26:20 - The one lesson world leaders should learn from Hannah Arendt1:32:08 - Common sense, science, expertise, and rebuilding a shared world📍 Follow Enrico:Instagram – @enricomayorTikTok – @enricomayor🎧 Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.💬 Drop your takeaway in the comments & don't forget to Like & Subscribe.