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Quote by Simon Blackburn

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Truth: A Guide

This book delves into the multifaceted nature of truth, examining its role in personal beliefs, societal norms, and philosophical inquiry. It provides a structured approach to understanding the concept, offering readers a deeper insight into the ways in which truth is perceived and communicated in different realms of life. more

Author

Simon Blackburn
Simon Blackburn

Simon Blackburn is a renowned British philosopher known for his contributions to ethics and philosophy of language. His research spans across various fields including moral philosophy, logic, philosophy of language, and philosophy of religion. Blackburn's works are extensive, including analyses of moral intuition, the meaning of language, and philosophical arguments. more

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“The absolutist lays down the law, but the relativist hears only roaring and bawling. Or, when the relativist voice, as it is heard from philosophers such as Nietzsche or James, itself starts to grate and sounds shrill, as it often does, and when the relativist then offers concessions, the absolutist hears only insincerity. The war of words can often turn into a dialogue of the deaf, and this too if part of its power to arouse outrage and fury.”

“It is sometimes said that one of the casualties of the general suspicion and mistrust that permeated the old Soviet Union was that the distinction between truth and other motivations to believe tended to break down. Upon hearing a purported piece of information, the reaction was not 'Is this true?' but 'Why is this person saying this? - What machinations or manipulations are going on here?' The question of truth did not, as it were, have the social space in which it could breath.”

“We must understand what our idea of wealth is. Is it just about more buildings, more machines, more cars, more of everything? More and more is death. In the most affluent societies in the world, for example in the United States of America, a significant percentage of the population is on anti-depressants on a regular basis. If you just withdraw one particular medication from the market, almost half the nation will go crazy. That is not wellbeing. Generally, an American citizen has everything that anyone would dream of.”