‘The Good Old Days’ Isn’t Just A Harmless Illusion

“Nostalgia’s dark side … is badly underestimated, and wreaks havoc not only in politics but also medicine and anthropology. Far from being harmless, [it] is a virulent falsehood that infects those whose intellectual defences have been weakened by fear and insecurity. It is easily weaponised by power-hungry propagandists who seek to replace nuanced discourse with patriotic platitudes.”