In defense of truth : a pluralistic approach
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In defense of truth : a pluralistic approach
Humanity Books, 2001
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Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This wide-ranging philosophical exploration defends the idea of Truth (with a capital 'T') against the claims of sceptics, relativists, postmodernists, and other nay-sayers. Philosopher Lenn E. Goodman builds a broad and pluralistic account that makes room for scientific, moral, religious, and artistic truth, and makes sense of mythic discourse, poetry, and fiction, without the patronising expedient of relegating each human idiom to some separate world or the authoritarian expedient of assigning each branch of inquiry to its own dogmatic priesthood. Goodman's catholic rationalism is open to all aspects of experience. Yet, his wide sympathy for literature, the arts, and diverse religious traditions does not lead him to an indiscriminate endorsement of all comers. He is always ready to criticise wishful thinking and superstition on substantive grounds. Goodman's commitment to reason, broadly construed, allows him to steer a steady course well clear of both romantic and mechanistic extremes.
Drawing on a wide and easy acquaintance with the great figures of the philosophical tradition, from the Presocratic naturalists and the ancient Indian and Confucian thinkers to Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans, Pyrrhonists, Stoics, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic philosophers, moderns, and our own contemporaries, Goodman is always synthetic, challenging, engaging, and accessible. His vivid imagery, forceful rhetoric, lyrical passages, and glints of ironic humour make his writing an exciting excursion without a trace of scholastic aridity.
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