Antoine Vergne

Populism wins not by delivering better policy but by providing what liberal democracies have stopped offering: identity, belonging, meaning, recognition. This isn't irrational—it reflects our evolved nature. Humans are wired for face-to-face cooperation; physical co-presence triggers oxytocin release and neural synchronization essential for trust and collective action. Digital spaces cannot replicate this, and now face an authentication crisis as AI floods online discourse with synthetic