What Is Truth For?, livre ebook

1. Recent public-facing books on truth have been written by philosophers, journalists, scientists, and social commentators, but none have been written by language specialists, despite language being central to the matter of truth. This book fills that gap.

2. This book takes truth seriously without being abstract and philosophical, nor being a technical guide to logical argumentation. It is aimed at readers concerned with fostering a disposition of truth-seeking, and in turn contributing to a culture of truthfulness.

3. This book makes the case that individual commitments are the key to creating a culture of care about truth, through valuing and fostering mindfulness, discipline, and humility in creative error-seeking. The fix that’s needed can’t be delivered by technologies or states. It must be delivered by us.

Truth is for striving at, for the sake of good collective action.

With new media technologies, it seems that falsehoods can spread faster and further than ever. And with new norms of public discourse, while being caught in a lie would once end a politician’s career, today it is shrugged off, which has profound implications for democracy. Does the truth no longer matter?

This optimist’s guide to truth argues that the problem of truth is an ancient one. It contends that truth is the best device we have for coordinating collective decisions and actions, and that, while the truth itself is perpetually elusive, the concept of truth as a target ideal to strive for is supremely useful. If we do not strive for truth, our decisions will be risky at best, often foolish and sometimes disastrous. This longstanding problem will not be solved with modern technology or regulations, but with measures we must all apply: mindfulness, humility, cooperation and optimism.

Preface

1. Is There Snow on Mount Everest?

2. True Statements are Good Reasons

3. The Two Realities

4. Collateral Effects

5. Always Striving, Never Arriving

6. The Ostrich Instruction

7. Mindful Optimism