Why Truth Matters - book review

"Why Truth Matters" by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom is one of those books you had to read for Philosophy 301. The title sounded so intriguing that you couldn't wait to open it. When you did, you found the it was "chloroform in print". The authors have their heart in the right place but need a ghostwriter or editor to make the book come alive.

For example, in the first chapter the authors talk about our need sometimes to avoid the truth and mention several different ways we do this. This calls out for a LIST, maybe even a NUMBERED LIST so that each one can be stored away in our hierarchic memory and retrieved later. Instead we get a narrative where the methods are certainly brought up and explained but we have to enumerate and sort out the various methods. Making more work for the reader (who is already reeling from philosophical ideas) is not excellent writing.

But the content of the book is excellent, if possibly a little out of order. The question posed by the title is actually answered in the last chapter after the authors have already shown us how we avoid looking at the truth (mental reservations, appeal to authority, declare o ff limits, etc.), why we avoid truth (laziness, fear, cognitive dissonance, etc.), and who is best at avoiding truth (politicians, priests, etc.).

Truth matters, as the cover of the book explains, "because we are the only species we know of that has the ability to find it out". I don't agree with this as intelligent animals such as dogs can discover limited truths such as where the bone or toy is, or has my master tossed the ball or hidden it behind his back. We aren't even the only animals capable of deceiving. I think the authors make a better point in the last chapter when they admit there are industries such as the movie and show business industries where suspension of belief is absolutely necessary but there are also endeavors such as scientific or historical research, where the truth is the point and to claim there is no truth or that it is relative, negates the purpose of the endeavor.

This is definitely a book I wouldn't mind having in my collection. I have also bookmarked as a favorite the authors' website Butterflies and Wheels, like the book not pretty but full of information.