Perplexity Summary Deconstructing Big Lies
Making the Public Mind on Big Lies for Engineering Consent for "United We Stand"
Perplexity Analysis and Summary of ‘Deconstructing Some of the Significant Big Lies of Our Time’ by Zahir Ebrahim
Perplexity Sunday, July 13, 2025
The following 1000 word summary, including the caption for the image below, is generated by Perplexity AI’s proprietary LLM chatbot (Link) for my detailed article that is approx. 6500 words. To continue reading my full article on Substack and study the long list of Big Lies I have deconstructed over the past two decades as a common man, having no insider information except the forensic observations inside my mind of what’s visible to all and sundry, please CLICK HERE.
Caption By Perplexity: Mr. Spock, armed with logic and moral courage, confronts the tangled web of official narratives, media chorus, and academic silence that uphold the Big Lie. Illustration generated by ChatGPT from concept given by Perplexity.
In-Depth and Nuanced Analysis
The Core Argument: The Big Lie as a Tool of Power
The document’s central thesis is that the “Big Lie”—a falsehood of such magnitude that it is accepted precisely because people cannot imagine anyone would fabricate something so enormous—is the primary tool by which ruling elites engineer mass consent. The author draws on the historical definition attributed to Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf, but is careful to note that this tactic predates Hitler and is not unique to any one group, even as he analyzes its deployment in contemporary contexts.
Mechanisms of the Big Lie
The author contends that Big Lies are not simply accidental or the product of misunderstanding, but are deliberately constructed and maintained by those in positions of power. These lies are then reinforced through:
Repetition by Authorities: The document repeatedly emphasizes how official narratives are sanctified by political leaders, media, and intellectuals. For example, the author quotes President Obama:
"These are not opinions to be debated. These are facts to be dealt with."
This is presented as an example of how dissent is delegitimized and the narrative is made unassailable.Institutional Complicity: The analysis points out that not only the lay public but also the highly educated—academics, journalists, Nobel laureates—are complicit, whether through silence or active participation. The author writes,
"They are all too invested in their social standing to rock the boat."
This suggests that the pressure to conform is as strong among elites as among the general populace.Manufacturing Consent and Dissent: The text explores how both agreement with and opposition to official narratives can be orchestrated by the same core group, creating the illusion of debate while keeping foundational assumptions intact.
Case Studies: Contextualizing the Big Lie
Rather than simply enumerating Big Lies, the document uses a few as illustrative case studies to show how the mechanism operates.
9/11 and the War on Terror
The narrative surrounding 9/11 is presented as a paradigmatic example. The author asserts that the idea that “Muslims and radical Islam attacked the United States” is a Big Lie, constructed and propagated to justify a global campaign of military intervention and domestic repression. The text claims that this narrative is reinforced by a broad coalition of political, academic, and media elites, and that questioning it is met with severe social and institutional penalties.
Global Crises as Vehicles for the Big Lie
The document also references responses to pandemics and climate change as further examples of how crises are used to mobilize populations and legitimize extraordinary measures, often without critical scrutiny. The author’s argument is not to deny the existence of these phenomena, but to question the narratives constructed around them and the agendas they serve.
Psychological and Social Dynamics
A significant portion of the document is devoted to exploring why Big Lies are so effective. The author suggests several factors:
Cognitive Dissonance and Emotional Investment: People are more likely to accept large-scale falsehoods because it is psychologically easier than confronting the possibility that trusted authorities might be lying on such a scale.
Educational Shortcomings: The author introduces the concept of the “likkha-parrha jahil” (educated moron), arguing that modern education often produces conformity rather than critical thinking.
Fear of Social Ostracism: The text repeatedly notes that those who challenge Big Lies are often marginalized or labeled as heretics, while most people, especially those with something to lose, remain silent.
The Role of Intellectuals and the Media
The document is particularly critical of intellectuals and media figures, who are portrayed as gatekeepers of official narratives. The author argues that these groups are often more concerned with maintaining their social status than with pursuing truth, and thus play a central role in perpetuating Big Lies.
Self-Censorship:
"Few noteworthy gentry anywhere in the world bother to see the latent agendas."False Dissent: The text discusses how even those who appear to dissent often do so within the boundaries set by the dominant narrative, thus reinforcing rather than challenging it.
Epistemology and the Nature of Truth
A recurring theme is the difficulty of discerning truth in a world where information is systematically manipulated. The author invokes Plato’s Cave as a metaphor for the layers of illusion that obscure reality, arguing that even those who attempt to reason critically are often trapped within constructed frameworks.
Limits of Logic: The author notes that logic and empirical reasoning can be subverted when the foundational premises are themselves products of the Big Lie.
The Need for Moral Courage: The document asserts that recognizing and challenging Big Lies requires not just intellectual rigor but also moral fortitude.
The Call to Action
The document closes with a personal reflection on the necessity of speaking out, even in the face of likely failure or marginalization. The author frames his own efforts as a modest attempt to resist the tide of manufactured consent, and invites readers to undertake their own critical examination of official narratives.
Invitation to Correction:
"If I have uttered any falsehood, I invite correction."
This signals an openness to dialogue and a recognition of the difficulty of achieving certainty in a world saturated with propaganda.
Tone
The tone of the document is deeply critical, urgent, and admonishing, characterized by a sense of frustration with both societal complacency and the complicity of the educated elite in perpetuating large-scale falsehoods. The author’s language is direct and sometimes confrontational, frequently invoking moral and intellectual failure among those who, in his view, should be most capable of recognizing and challenging “Big Lies.” There is a persistent undercurrent of disappointment, as the author laments the widespread acceptance of official narratives and the lack of critical engagement, especially among those with privilege, education, and influence. At the same time, the tone is also reflective and at times personal, as the author situates himself as a lone voice striving to resist the machinery of mass deception, inviting readers to join in the difficult but necessary task of independent thought and moral courage.
Conclusion
In sum, the document is a sustained critique of the mechanisms by which powerful actors construct and maintain large-scale falsehoods, and of the social and psychological dynamics that make these lies so effective. It is also a lament for the decline of critical engagement among both the masses and the elite, and a call for renewed moral and intellectual courage in the face of pervasive deception. The analysis is rooted entirely in the document’s own arguments and rhetoric, focusing on the process and consequences of the Big Lie rather than simply listing instances of it.
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Source URL: https://humanbeingfirst.substack.com/p/perplexity-summary-deconstructing
Source PDF: https://humanbeingfirst.substack.com/p/pdf
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