| Edition |
First MIT Press paperback edition. |
| Description |
xii, 204 pages ; 24 cm |
| Note |
"A Bradford book." |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [183]-199) and index. |
| Contents |
Preface -- Introduction -- pt. 1. Cynical myths -- 1. Truisms about truth -- The conversation-stopper -- Truth is objective -- Truth is good -- Truth is a worthy goal of inquiry -- Truth is worth caring about for its own sake -- Good ideas and bad -- 2. Is the truth unattainable? -- Nightmare -- A map of the world -- Safety -- 3. Is truth relative? -- Man is the measure -- Simple(minded) relativism -- Truth as power -- Relativism without nihilism -- 4. The truth hurts -- Dangerous knowledge -- Exceptions that prove the rule -- Context and significance -- Questions and answers -- pt. 2. False theories -- 5. Truth as a means to an end -- Round and round we go -- The right tool for the job -- Why (classical) pragmatism doesn't work -- A more coherent suggestion? -- Differences that make a difference -- 6. Truth and the scientific image -- Naturalism and human values -- Truth as what science tells us -- Mind as map -- Moore's problem -- Naturalism as nihilism -- The motivational tractor-beam -- The possibility of pluralism -- 7. Truth as fiction -- Analogies -- Nietzchean lessons? -- Minimalism -- |
|
pt. 3. Why truth matters -- A personal question -- Know thyself -- Caring about truth -- Integrity -- Happiness -- More questions, more answers -- 9. Sweet lies -- Liar, liar -- Sincerity -- 10. Truth and liberal democracy -- We are not lying -- The social value of truth -- Truth and rights -- The silence of slavery -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Index. |
| Summary |
Why does truth matter, when politicians so easily sidestep it and intellectuals scorn it as irrelevant? Why be concerned over an abstract idea like truth when something that isn't true - for example, a report of Iraq's attempting to buy materials for nuclear weapons - gets the desired result, the invasion of Iraq? In this engaging and spirited book, Michael Lynch argues that truth does matter, in both our personal and political lives. Lynch explains that the growing cynicism over truth stems in large part from our confusion over what truth is. "We need to think our way past our confusion and shed our cynicism about the value of truth," he writes. "Otherwise, we will be unable to act with integrity, to live authentically, and to speak truth to power." True to Life defends four simple claims: that truth is objective; that it is good to believe what is true; that truth is a goal worthy of inquiry; and that truth can be worth caring about for its own sake - not just because it gets us other things we want. In defense of these "truisms about truth," Lynch diagnoses the sources of our cynicism and argues that many contemporary theories of truth cannot adequately account for its value. He explains why we should care about truth, arguing that truth and its pursuit are part of living a happy life, important in our personal relationships and for our political values. - Back cover. |
| Subject |
Truth.
|
| Added Author |
MIT Press.
|
| Added Title |
Why truth matters |
| ISBN |
0262622017 paperback |
|
9780262622011 paperback |
|
