Never before has communication been so fast and so present. Never, therefore, in theory, have political, economic and cultural decision-makers worked in better conditions, and never has public opinion had so many elements to orient itself. The world should be, therefore, better off than it has ever been. In many ways, we all know that this is not the case. We do not lack knowledge, but do we want to use it? Is communication the opposite of information? Jean-François Revel reviews the state of information based on a vast international survey, interspersed with surprising facts and personal memories. He draws his examples from several countries at the same time, from several cultures and political systems.