Dawn of the Age of Parrhesia

"Parrhesia" comes from the Greek playwright (tragedian) Euripides meaning literally "to speak everything" and by extension "to speak boldly", or "boldness". It is a form of extreme candor. It implies more than just freedom of speech, but the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk. 

Parrhesia was a central concept for the Cynic philosophers, and then later on applied by the Epicureans in a manner of frank criticism. This was a common method of discourse in philosophy at the time, which was later championed by the post modernist Michel Foucault. This was in contrast to rhetoric, which was a method to help persuade the audience. Rhetoric, the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, designed persuade and impress its audience. Often regarded as lacking in sincerity. In todays context some would (incorrectly) refer to it as fake news.

For the parrhesiastes--the one who uses parrhesia--they say everything that is on their mind, hiding nothing. By opening one's heart and mind completely to other people through their discussion, the speaker gives a complete and exact account of what they feel and think, unfettered by niceties or eloquence,  so that the audience is able to comprehend exactly what the speaker thinks. One who uses parrhesia must be critical of everything including themselves. They must also not bend to popular opinion or cultural norms, even if this endanger their life. Publicly the user of parrhesia must be in a subordinate to those being criticized. 

In todays world we are lost between the rhetoric and the false parrhesiastes. 

Those that tell the truth--parrhesiastes--are many, but they are necessarily individual. In a complex society, to be able to be fully knowledgeable and honest you have to be a specialist, an expert. Non experts are the rhetoricians. They persuade others that they are telling the truth but they truly do not understand the truth. And those are the rhetoricians. Unfortunately it is very difficult to tell them apart. So the knee jerk reaction is to disqualify all experts, Like a serpent that swallows its tail we have dismissed those individuals that can help us understand the truth.

The serpent that swallows its tail is the symbolism for alchemists. History can teach us the fate parrhesiastes. Alchemists were another set of individual experts that have been vilified throughout history.  While the symbol of Ouroboros--the snake eating its own tail--represent infinity and wholeness, it does have some strange bedfellows.

Reference

Foucault, Michel (Oct–Nov 1983), Discourse and Truth: the Problematization of Parrhesia (six lectures), The University of California at Berkeley.he parrhesiastes uses the most direct words and forms of expression he can find.