| Description |
xxi, 238 pages ; 22 cm |
| Contents |
Ch. 1. Faith, belief and reason -- Ch. 2. Man the measure -- Ch. 3. Ishmael's problem and the delights of keeping quiet -- Ch. 4. Nietzsche : the arch debunker -- Ch. 5. The possibility of philosophy -- Ch. 6. Observation and truth : from Locke to Rorty -- Ch. 7. Realism as science; realism about science -- Ch. 8. Historians and others |
| Summary |
"The front lines of the age-old war over truth are well defined. On one side are those who believe in plain, unvarnished facts, rock-solid truths that can be found through reason and objectivity - that science leads to truth, for instance. Their opponents mock this idea. They see the dark forces of language, culture, power, gender, class, ideology and desire - all subverting our perceptions of the world, and clouding our judgement with false notions of absolute truth. Beginning with an early skirmish in the war - when Socrates confronted the sophists in ancient Athens - Blackburn offers a penetrating look at the longstanding battle these two groups have waged, examining the philosophical battles fought by Plato, Protagoras, William James, David Hume, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Richard Rorty, and many others, with a particularly fascinating look at Nietzsche. Among the questions Blackburn considers are: Is science mere opinion?"--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-234) and index |
| Subject |
Truth.
|
| LC no. |
2004019800 |
| ISBN |
0195168240 alkaline paper |
|
