How things are
Reviews Truth by John D. Caputo, this book is one in a new series from Penguin called "Philosophy in Transit". Caputo argues that contemporary life, which is marked by modern transportation systems in which we can travel almost anywhere, and modern information systems, through which almost...
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| Published in: | TLS, the Times Literary Supplement the Times Literary Supplement, 2014 (5785), p.12-13 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Review |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Reviews Truth by John D. Caputo, this book is one in a new series from Penguin called "Philosophy in Transit". Caputo argues that contemporary life, which is marked by modern transportation systems in which we can travel almost anywhere, and modern information systems, through which almost anything can travel to us, is much more pluralistic than life in the past. The fact that in real or virtual travel we encounter many different views of reality is supposed to threaten modernist or Enlightenment ideas of truth. Whereas modernism is committed to the idea that there is "one big story that covers all phenomena", contemporary travel and technology have enhanced our awareness of multiple and competing interpretations of the world, this claim is at the heart of the postmodernist conception of truth defended by Caputo. One of the central themes of this book is that philosophers have neglected important questions because they have been too concerned with the truth of propositions, assertions or claims, Caputo argues that truth cannot be confined to propositions and that there is a deeper idea of truth which is not the idea of truth of assertions, but truth as a thing to love, to live and die for. Caputo's other main theme is his general postmodernist concept of truth, which he applies to propositional truth as well as truth in his deeper sense. Caputo does a fine job of clarifying and classifying the postmodernist approach to truth and reality, his readable and eloquent book is an excellent guide to the outlook common in a certain strain of Continental European philosophy. (Quotes from original text) |
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| ISSN: | 0307-661X 2517-7729 |