Edinburgh Book Festival asks if books can defend truth in a post-literate age

The Edinburgh Book Festival has opened a series of events examining the role of books in a post-literate age, where smartphones, artificial intelligence and declining reading rates are reshaping how people consume information. Organisers have set the theme as "changing minds", hoping to offer a quieter, reflective space against the noise of August's Fringe Festival and polarised online debate.

More than 600 writers are taking part in discussions that confront questions of truth, empathy and political accountability. Among them are Sabreen Hasbourn, born in Palestine, and Tahmima Anam, born in Bangladesh, both writers of resistance. In their event, they argued that writers must engage more directly with politics and global crises. Anam said writers are essential in a climate where social media and AI sell thinking as something easy, while real writing teaches that thinking is a process requiring time and critical effort. Hasbourn noted that Palestine remains an "unspeakable theme" for many, and that saying the word carries personal consequences.

The festival also hosts performances that probe the nature of truth. A show called Truth Machine connects one audience member to a polygraph and asks others to judge whether they are lying. Its creators say they were inspired by Oxford Dictionaries naming "post-truth" word of the year a decade ago, and see the polygraph as a metaphor for questioning whether truth is available or desirable. In a world overwhelmed by information, they argue, the responsibility falls on humans to decide what to believe and what to invest in.

The broader question running through the festival is whether books can still defend facts and encourage empathy in an era of AI hallucinations and rapidly spreading fabrications. The answer, from writers and performers alike, is that the discipline of reading and face-to-face discussion remains a vital counterweight to the cacophony of digital life.