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Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed
This important book is about truth, and the enemies of truth, and the wars that are fought between them. As Simon Blackburn says in his introduction, "the ground is complicated, strewn with abandoned fortresses and trenches, fought over by shifting alliances". Truth is an essential sure-footed guide through the territory, from classical to modern times. It looks at relativism and absolutism, toleration and belief, objectivity and knowledge, science and pseudo-science, and the moral and political implications, as well as the nuances, of all these.
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2006
About the author
Simon Blackburn
82 books286 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Simon Blackburn FBA is an English academic philosopher known for his work in metaethics, where he defends quasi-realism, and in the philosophy of language; more recently, he has gained a large general audience from his efforts to popularise philosophy.
He retired as the professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge in 2011, but remains a distinguished research professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaching every fall semester. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a member of the professoriate of New College of the Humanities. He was previously a Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford and has also taught full-time at the University of North Carolina as an Edna J. Koury Professor. He is a former president of the Aristotelian Society, having served the 2009–2010 term. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2002 and a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.
Simon Blackburn FBA is an English academic philosopher known for his work in metaethics, where he defends quasi-realism, and in the philosophy of language; more recently, he has gained a large general audience from his efforts to popularise philosophy.
He retired as the professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge in 2011, but remains a distinguished research professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaching every fall semester. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a member of the professoriate of New College of the Humanities. He was previously a Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford and has also taught full-time at the University of North Carolina as an Edna J. Koury Professor. He is a former president of the Aristotelian Society, having served the 2009–2010 term. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2002 and a Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 9, 2020
Blackburn is a very good writer and I do like his exposition wherein he explains concepts whilst systematically expounding the history of philosophy - it's a great way to cover a lot of content.
I have to say as a layman I did find certain sections of this book which were glossed over difficult to read. There were a few points where high level concepts were covered in a paragraph or so and a term explained there would be constantly referred back to - the issue I would then have is that I would go back and re-read this paragraph but not find enough in it to fully understand the new term!
This only happened a couple of times however and in general I feel like I understand the philosophical terrain surrounding discussions of "truth" and a few other topics far better than when I first picked up the book.
I have to say as a layman I did find certain sections of this book which were glossed over difficult to read. There were a few points where high level concepts were covered in a paragraph or so and a term explained there would be constantly referred back to - the issue I would then have is that I would go back and re-read this paragraph but not find enough in it to fully understand the new term!
This only happened a couple of times however and in general I feel like I understand the philosophical terrain surrounding discussions of "truth" and a few other topics far better than when I first picked up the book.
June 12, 2026
“We must fight soggy nihilism, scepticism and cynicism. We must not believe that anything goes. We must not believe that all opinion is ideology, that reason is only power, that there is no truth to prevail”
And that is largely, precisely what the book does. It works through the various issues of realism, idealism and anti-realism, especially as they affect different versions of truth. It takes us through the key historical philosophical authors as well as particularly significant (or particularly loud) philosophers over the last century, providing an overview of issues and potentially a way through them.
What I think the book did well, was to introduce the issues in a natural and flowing way that led readers straight to the heart of what the issues actually were. There was good coverage of a wide range of philosophical, scientific and historical writers, with good examples to illustrate the points.
What was less clear is what actually is the way forward if we are avoid scepticism and soggy attitudes that undermine a commitment to truth. What emerged from the book was not so much a straight and narrow path, as rather something more like footprints in a mine field, which people can contort themselves to step into, in order to avoid the risks of what lies between. We have to commit ourselves to beliefs (or animated lifestyles) based on evidence.
But how do we deal with the fact that at every stage of the process of seeking commitments or assurances, we seem to have a clash between what we can assure ourselves (in our own minds) and the unanswerable questions of how we can be sure that what is in our minds relates properly (or reliably or truthfully) to what lies outside of our minds. Its all very well to dismiss the relevance of that Cartesian knowledge game, but it is a genie that is out of a bottle and it can’t just be ignored into destruction. By the end of the book I was never quite sure what the ultimate answer actually is, other than committing to some kind of philosophcial faith position, or perhaps just (quietistically) ignoring the problems and deciding to stop worrying about the issues.
Overall, I think this is a very readable introduction to some of the central issues, but I’m not sure it is a ‘guide to the perplexed’ in the sense of delivering on a reduction of perplexity. Its a book that readers from any background will enjoy but it will not necessarily answer or solve philosophical problems. But what it will do is ensure that readers can better locate the problems in the wider context of the philosophical issues which gave birth to the problems.
And that is largely, precisely what the book does. It works through the various issues of realism, idealism and anti-realism, especially as they affect different versions of truth. It takes us through the key historical philosophical authors as well as particularly significant (or particularly loud) philosophers over the last century, providing an overview of issues and potentially a way through them.
What I think the book did well, was to introduce the issues in a natural and flowing way that led readers straight to the heart of what the issues actually were. There was good coverage of a wide range of philosophical, scientific and historical writers, with good examples to illustrate the points.
What was less clear is what actually is the way forward if we are avoid scepticism and soggy attitudes that undermine a commitment to truth. What emerged from the book was not so much a straight and narrow path, as rather something more like footprints in a mine field, which people can contort themselves to step into, in order to avoid the risks of what lies between. We have to commit ourselves to beliefs (or animated lifestyles) based on evidence.
But how do we deal with the fact that at every stage of the process of seeking commitments or assurances, we seem to have a clash between what we can assure ourselves (in our own minds) and the unanswerable questions of how we can be sure that what is in our minds relates properly (or reliably or truthfully) to what lies outside of our minds. Its all very well to dismiss the relevance of that Cartesian knowledge game, but it is a genie that is out of a bottle and it can’t just be ignored into destruction. By the end of the book I was never quite sure what the ultimate answer actually is, other than committing to some kind of philosophcial faith position, or perhaps just (quietistically) ignoring the problems and deciding to stop worrying about the issues.
Overall, I think this is a very readable introduction to some of the central issues, but I’m not sure it is a ‘guide to the perplexed’ in the sense of delivering on a reduction of perplexity. Its a book that readers from any background will enjoy but it will not necessarily answer or solve philosophical problems. But what it will do is ensure that readers can better locate the problems in the wider context of the philosophical issues which gave birth to the problems.
May 1, 2026
Sadly, this book is not for me. Even after 10 pages my attention is lost due to the writing style. Can be an interesting book for some, just not for me
December 26, 2019
The title is a bit misleading: if you are perplexed when you start reading this book, you are bound to finish even more perplexed. This is definitely not a clear & unbiased introduction to epistemology for the general public, nor an extremely good 102.
2.85 stars because hanging around educated people is not the worst way to pass your time.
2.85 stars because hanging around educated people is not the worst way to pass your time.
April 30, 2009
Thought-provoking but I'm still perplexed
December 29, 2013
One of the first profound philosophical books I read... It is a challenging read, but it is definitely worth it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews