A Farewell to Truth |
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Author:
| Vattimo, Gianni |
Translator:
| McCuaig, William |
Foreword by:
| Valgenti, Robert T. |
ISBN: | 978-0-231-15309-6 |
Publication Date: | May 2014 |
Publisher: | Columbia University Press
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Book Format: | Paperback |
List Price: | USD $24.00 |
Book Description:
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In this book, Gianni Vattimo engages with the important consequences for democracy of our changing conception of politics and truth, such as a growing reluctance to ground politics in science, economics, and technology. Yet in his conception, a farewell to truth can be a benefit to democracy by exposing the unspoken issues that underlie all objective claims. The end of absolute truth also challenges the legitimacy of policies based on perceived objective necessities—protecting...
More Description
In this book, Gianni Vattimo engages with the important consequences for democracy of our changing conception of politics and truth, such as a growing reluctance to ground politics in science, economics, and technology. Yet in his conception, a farewell to truth can be a benefit to democracy by exposing the unspoken issues that underlie all objective claims. The end of absolute truth also challenges the legitimacy of policies based on perceived objective necessities—protecting the free market, for example, even if it devastates certain groups or classes. Vattimo calls for a truth that is constructed with consensus and a respect for the liberty of all. By taking into account the cultural paradigms of others, a more "truthful" society—freer and more democratic—becomes possible.