Anti-Vaccination Sentiments in Russia: Unique Obscurantism or Outstanding Post-Truth?

The article attempts to identify the reasons for the acceptance of antivaccination and covid-dissidence by the outstanding proportions of people in Russia. The author argues that this phenomenon cannot be adequately interpreted as an outburst of obscurantism. It is more reasonable to consider the situation in the light of the global spread of a purely modern post-truth phenomenon. Current post-truth situation is described. It is characterized by the relativization of expert knowledge in the public mind, equalizing its authority with the authority of alternative sources of judgment on certain issues. As a result, there is a relative rise in the status of previously marginalized sources of alternative expert knowledge. Due to radical “democratization” of scientific (expert) knowledge, everyone chooses her/his position by relying on the opinion of the appealing experts, while avoiding the reproach of marginality. The uniqueness of Russia lies in the fact that even before the pandemic, in the 2000s, a general mindset was formed in a way that “everyone has their own truth”, which depends on group preferences and current needs. The plurality and de facto equivalent legitimacy of conflicting moral assessments, legal standards, ideological judgments, etc. became the norm of Russian public life. Russia has moved on the path of post-truth further than others, since it embarked on it earlier. The author shows that being in a post-truth situation is comfortable for various reasons for both authorities and society. Thus, by the time of the pandemic, the ability of a significant part of Russian society to develop a unified position on issues related to common interests and goals was too weakened in order to withstand the rapid flourishing of anti-vaccination and covid dissidence. 

Keywords: obscurantism; post-truth; anti-vaccination; covid-dissidence; COVID-19