What Is Truth For?
1st Edition
Published on 30. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
152 pages
978-1-5292-4938-5 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
"This is just the kind of approach to philosophy that is needed: simple, direct, and backed by dozens of contemporary examples." CHOICE 'Everyone claims to care about truth - yet surprisingly few are really dedicated to pursuing it, which requires not just freedom but virtues like integrity, self-discipline, and humility. N.J. Enfield explains how each of us can become a better truth-seeker - and, in doing so, become a better person, too.' Jonathan Rauch, Brookings Institution"A powerful exploration of truth's complexity-how we find it, distort it, and depend on it to hold together science, society, and shared understanding." Michael Rich, RAND Corporation "Truth needs its champions these days, and N. J. Enfield rises to the challenge. This punchy volume reveals what truth is, how best to go about finding it, and why it's okay if we never perfectly achieve it. A bracing corrective at a time when truth is being called into question more than ever." Sean Carroll, Johns Hopkins University "Drawing upon multiple disciplines and real-world examples, Enfield demonstrates that robust free speech is the essential engine for pursuing truth." Nadine Strossen, New York Law School
"Top-drawer linguistics meets Truth, and finds that it's small-t, yet essential. When used well, the word 'truth' has rhetorical power." Deirdre McCloskey, economist
More details
Series
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Bristol
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
13 s/w Abbildungen
13 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 122 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
178 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5292-4938-5 (9781529249385)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
N.J. Enfield
What Is Truth For?
E-Book
09/2025
1st Edition
Bristol University Press
€14.49
Available for download
Person
N. J. Enfield is professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney. His award-winning research on how language influences the ways we think and act has been published widely in linguistics, anthropology and cognitive science, as well as in the media. He is a member of the Fighting Truth Decay research node at the Charles Perkins Centre.
Content
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
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