In Good Faith: Diluting the power of lies in a post-truth age |
Truth and falsehood are not just opposing statements; they are rival ways of living together. Lies — especially when amplified by power or prestige — can circle the world before patient fact has laced its boots. We live in a “post-truth” age, where feelings often seem to weigh more than evidence and where every claim can be dismissed as “just your narrative”. Yet, ordinary life still depends on some shared sense that words ought to answer to reality. When that weakens, everything else begins to wobble.
What, then, do we mean by “truth”? Philosophers speak of correspondence (our words matching the world), coherence (our beliefs hanging together), and pragmatism (truth as what “works” in experience). In practice, we borrow from all three. A doctor, a........