On Truth - Hardcover

Harry G. Frankfurt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845951247 ISBN 13: 9781845951245

Publisher: PIMLICO, 2007

Synopsis

Having outlined a theory of bullshit and falsehood, Harry G. Frankfurt turns to what lies beyond them: the truth, a concept not as obvious as some might expect.

Our culture's devotion to bullshit may seem much stronger than our apparently halfhearted attachment to truth. Some people (professional thinkers) won't even acknowledge "true" and "false" as meaningful categories, and even those who claim to love truth cause the rest of us to wonder whether they, too, aren't simply full of it. Practically speaking, many of us deploy the truth only when absolutely necessary, often finding alternatives to be more saleable, and yet somehow civilization seems to be muddling along. But where are we headed? Is our fast and easy way with the facts actually crippling us? Or is it "all good"? Really, what's the use of truth, anyway?

With the same leavening wit and commonsense wisdom that animates his pathbreaking work On Bullshit, Frankfurt encourages us to take another look at the truth: there may be something there that is perhaps too plain to notice but for which we have a mostly unacknowledged yet deep-seated passion. His book will have sentient beings across America asking, "The truth—why didn't I think of that?"

About this title

About the Author

Harry G. Frankfurt is a professor of philosophy emeritus at Princeton University. His books include The Reasons of Love; Necessity, Volition, and Love; and The Importance of What We Care About. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

From AudioFile

ON TRUTH is the sequel to Harry Frankfurt's bestseller, ON BULLSHIT. While ON BULLSHIT may have been cute and entertaining, ON TRUTH is a dense discussion of society's use and misuse of truth, honesty, and candor. Not at all humorous, it may qualify as the longest 90 minutes an audiobook listener may ever experience. The fault does not lie with George Wilson, who is an able narrator. Rather, Wilson sounds as though he is valiantly trudging through the didactic material, ever hopeful that a lighter, more reader-friendly section will appear on the next page. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: PIMLICO
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1845951247
• ISBN 13: 9781845951245
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 101