Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division

by Cornel West, Robert P. George

Two leading public intellectuals and dear friends—one progressive, one conservative—explore What is Truth? and Why Does Truth Matter?

In Truth Matters, Cornel West and Robert P. George address a range of social issues on which Americans today are bitterly divided. Their book models robust intellectual engagement and civil discourse as they explore vital questions surrounding the idea of truth and its foundational role in our lives. Along the way, they reflect on social conditions—such as respect for freedom of speech—that must be established and maintained if truth is to be seriously pursued. They also explore the virtues—such as intellectual humility and courage—that must be acquired and practiced if we frail, fallible, fallen human beings are to be determined truth seekers and bold truth speakers.

Audible Audio

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Cornel Ronald West is an American scholar and public intellectual. Formerly at Harvard University, West is currently a professor of Religion at Princeton. West says his intellectual contributions draw from such diverse traditions as the African American Baptist Church, Marxism, pragmatism, transcendentalism, and Anton Chekhov.

Reviews

[Sarah Waller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am normally not a fan of audiobooks, but this one was brilliant.

[Julio The Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cornel West's definition of a public intellectual is one who never shuts up. That's why I love him. Last time I checked in on Dr. West he was running for president in 2024 and finished behind the candidate of the loony Stalinoid Party of Socialism and Liberation. Alas, Babylon. Burnt by that experience, Cornel did what he does best, produce a book. In this case, conversations in dialogue with a friendly and profound thinker, Robert George. TRUTH MATTERS is a bold and courageous attempt to answer the question Pontius Pilate put to Jesus, "What is truth?" Cornel and George are both Christian philosophers heavily engaged with politics. Their common starting point is that in the age of social media, misinformation and what Ezra Pound labeled "organized cowardice" by the elites, truth matters more than ever and must be rescued and taught to a new generation of students, and anyone else who will listen. George is certain an objective truth is out there; in the Platonic forms, Hebrew Scripture and Christian gospels, which teach the common humanity of men and women, their image like that unto God, and modern-day papal encyclicals on life, work and human rights. In Jefferson's felicitous phrase, "these truths are self-evident". Brother Cornel has a darker though not pessimistic view of how humans relate to truth. Truth must be fought for and the enemies of truth are always the dominant, comfortable and complacent. Yet, it would be wrong to say the rest are morally virtuous. The dark night of the soul explored at great personal cost by Kierkegaard, Kafka, and Coltrane speaks to the fallibility of humanity and its great capacity for self-delusion. The great danger in searching for truth is to have found it and proclaim oneself the sole possessor of holy writ, with a Manichean world view of light versus darkness. Kafka: "The pursuit of the eradication of evil is a means by which evil perpetuates itself". From this lofty vantage point Cornel and Brother George debate abortion,woke culture and identity politics, the state of American political institutions, both men insist there's no democracy without strong communities, families and religious organizations, and U.S. foreign policy. In you can excuse some of the repetitive intellectual name dropping, Burke, St. Augustine and St. Thomas for George, Nietzsche, Rabbi Abraham Heschel and Fanni Lou Hamer for Cornel, you will find yourself joining a timely intellectual feast.

[Xergio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very captivating dialogue between two old professors, philosophers, thinkers, and friends. They come from different communities and traditions. They don’t agree 100% on everything. However, they are both committed to be intellectually honest and supporters of the truth (the concept of which is the first task of the conversation). This was surprisingly refreshing, and an invitation to think better and be better.

[Scott Satterwhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good. I have always liked Cornel west, but was less familiar with his conservative friend. but it was very engaging dialogue between the two. I found myself going back over this book chapter by chapter, and can see myself doing this again anytime to the future. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Reggie Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short book on how we can be truth seekers and truth tellers!

[Brian Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely brilliant