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True To Life: Why Truth Matters
Gold Award Winner for Philosophy in the 2004 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards
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 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.
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 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.
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
204 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
7 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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October 28, 2020Hi. I have translated this book in persian . It is speaking about an issue which I interested since years. truth is one of our lost in our lives . and the author have very useful discussions on it. thanks for Mr.Michael Patrick Lynch
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October 7, 2022"Choć nauka prawdopodobnie powie nam sporą część prawdy czy nawet niemal całą prawdę o świecie, to nie powie nam prawdy o prawdzie" (205).
"Uczciwość intelektualna wymaga troski o prawdę ze względu na nią samą" (345).
"Uczciwość intelektualna wymaga troski o prawdę ze względu na nią samą" (345).
December 16, 2020
As is the case with many modern philosophy books, the author has used a lot of words to say not much of anything at all.
November 13, 2024
Philosophy is such a circle jerk
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January 2, 2025RK INTELLECTUAL HISTORY Add to ANF
April 13, 2025
meh
i feel like this book needed more editing. each chapter was way too long, but usually pretty interesting.
i feel like this book needed more editing. each chapter was way too long, but usually pretty interesting.
November 18, 2025
This book I had to read for class and it was hard to get through…. It’s only around 185 pages and it took me over a month to finish it… pretty much states the obvious
April 2, 2015
Mark Twain famously wrote that "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." Actually, knowing what's true is not so simple, and quite possibly more complex and nuanced than any good lie. Hasn't relativism taught us that truth is a chimera?
In this book, Lynch (Philosophy, U. Connecticut) endeavors to settle the matter once and for all by arguing the following salient points:
Truth is Objective.
Truth is Good.
Truth is a Worthy Goal of Inquiry.
Truth is Worth Caring about for Its Own Sake.
Well, Nietzsche, among others, would be pulling his hair out at what he'd see as the obtuse vanity of those statements. Others, like pragmatists or scientists who define truth in relation to cause-effect efficacy, might be willing to go along with those assertions, up to the point where they cease to be functional. Lynch confronts these and other criticisms with a casual style and common sense approach that belies the sophistication of his arguments. My goodness, they actually seem to make sense!
By itself, the philosophical discourse would not have much impact if Lynch did not take these arguments into the realms of personal self actuation and social responsibility. To live an authentic life, one in which you identify meaning and purpose with your actions, requires that you have some underlying appreciation of the truth being served by them. Imagine - better living through philosophy!
I doubt that this will settle anything in this age-old debate, but, almost mirthfully, Lynch concludes "If we are bound to be fools, let us be fools with hope."
In this book, Lynch (Philosophy, U. Connecticut) endeavors to settle the matter once and for all by arguing the following salient points:
Truth is Objective.
Truth is Good.
Truth is a Worthy Goal of Inquiry.
Truth is Worth Caring about for Its Own Sake.
Well, Nietzsche, among others, would be pulling his hair out at what he'd see as the obtuse vanity of those statements. Others, like pragmatists or scientists who define truth in relation to cause-effect efficacy, might be willing to go along with those assertions, up to the point where they cease to be functional. Lynch confronts these and other criticisms with a casual style and common sense approach that belies the sophistication of his arguments. My goodness, they actually seem to make sense!
By itself, the philosophical discourse would not have much impact if Lynch did not take these arguments into the realms of personal self actuation and social responsibility. To live an authentic life, one in which you identify meaning and purpose with your actions, requires that you have some underlying appreciation of the truth being served by them. Imagine - better living through philosophy!
I doubt that this will settle anything in this age-old debate, but, almost mirthfully, Lynch concludes "If we are bound to be fools, let us be fools with hope."
May 18, 2010
This book reminded me why I hated my philosophy class. Not the content or concepts, but how utterly boring it is to read the arguments. Dry.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews