Truth: A Guide

by Simon Blackburn

Book Overview

The author of the highly popular book Think, which Time magazine hailed as "the one book every smart person should read to understand, and even enjoy, the key questions of philosophy," Simon Blackburn is that rara avis--an eminent thinker who is able to explain philosophy to the general reader. Now Blackburn offers a tour de force exploration of what he calls "the most exciting and engaging issue in the whole of philosophy"--the age-old war over truth...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195315804
• ISBN13: 9780195315806
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Very balanced approach to such a complex issue

With the issue of truth, it is all too easy to allow our sympathies towards one side or the other on the nature of truth to ignore the real argument on the other side of the issue. Simon Blackburn does an excellent job digging deep into the position of relativism as well as the usual complaints from "foundationalist" philosophers against relativism. If you are interested in seeing what both sides have to offer intellectually, this is an exceptional guide.

lucid philosophy for the people

Highly recommend. I very much enjoyed this wonderfully readable and illuminating exploration of the philosophical problem of Truth. There is a blurb I wholeheartedly agree with. Fish so perfectly summarizes my own experience of the book (And also happened to sell me on purchasing it. Weird how sensible and persuasive Stanley Fish can be): "The pleasure of reading this beautifully written and crafted book is almost sensual, so complete does each sentence seem in its witty unfolding. Blackburn takes up the knottiest philosophical issues--truth, justice, belief, evidence, interpretation--and without dissolving the knots he carefully undoes them, and then, in some cases, reties them. A wonderful embracing tour through the minefield of philosophical controversy that will inform the novice and delight the afficionado."--Stanley Fish The chapter on Nietzsche is excellent and as has been remarked is indeed worth the purchase of the book. Anyone with an interest in philosophy would do well to check out Simon Blackburn's books "Truth: A Guide" and "Being Good" (which deals with the prickly subject of ethics). This book demonstrates difficult ideas and debates can be clearly written on without reducing their complexity.

excellent analysis, unique perspective

epistemology is inherently difficult, in my view, and Blackburn explores this doggedly. i have not finished it yet, but, already, a number of issues have become clearer to me. The section on Nietzsche is especially interesting as it seems to place him on the path from Kant to Wittgenstein. The distinction from pragmatism is especially interesting.

Is the world a certain way, or can we only see a point of view?

I had been really thinking about how some people think that the world is a certain way, and how others think that we can only talk about our perspective on it. I had more of the latter perspective, but with a feeling that the former was somehow right too. I couldn't really find a way to reconcile the two except by saying that it's absolutely relative (which seemed more like goofing around than a serious response). I ran across this book serendipitously at the library, and a quick look revealed that the book would be addressing the very issue I had been thinking about. I was a philosophy major so I've been exposed to philosophical writing before. Some reviews before mine allege that he's over analyzing or difficult to read. I think, as far as philosophical writing goes, his writing is fairly accessible. There are good endnotes for follow-up, and he doesn't get too entrenced in specialized language. Someone not familliar with philosophy might have to reference some things (Wikipedia may be a fine place to do so). I think the book is aimed at the non-specialist, and I think it hits the spot. He really does a fine job at explaining where both sides of the issue go wrong, but he's never willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The most common criticism of relativism is self-refutation (i.e. if nothing is true then relativism can't be true either), but even though he's not a relativist he shows how this criticism is too simple. He really does have sympathy for both sides of the issue. I think anyone who takes the time to read this book will come out with a much better understanding of the issues, and will have more interesting things to contribute to their conversations than they did before.

Excellently done.

The language, the words, the concepts, the illustrations, the points he brings out, everything in this book is beautiful. The metaphors he will use to get a certain point across, is brilliant, simple, creative, nimble; he dances around philosophical discussion with grace. He explains relativism, and absolutism, quite well, and puts you in the crossfire, to make up your mind; he shows you, but doesn't tell you; he offers you; he willingly gives you; The Truth. Buy this book.