by Errol Morris
First published 2018
In 1972, graduate student Errol Morris challenged philosopher Thomas Kuhn's ideas about scientific revolutions. Kuhn responded by hurling an ashtray at him. Decades later, Morris has become a celebrated documentary filmmaker behind The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War. Kuhn authored The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which sold over a million copies and gave us the term "paradigm shifts." Morris still thinks Kuhn's core ideas are wrong. This book explains why. Morris believes truth comes from the relationship between language and the world. He rejects philosophical systems that ignore reality in favor of internal logic. His goal is to determine what we can actually know about the world, history, and human behavior. This drive powers his filmmaking, whether he interviews Robert McNamara about Vietnam or explores the mind of a pet cemetery owner. Morris argues we must fight for truth rather than let it slip away through philosophical tricks. In an era of political lies and virtual reality, he makes the case for truth's enduring value.
Genres: biography, philosophy, 20th-century, non-fiction, 21st-century, academia, academic, history-of-science
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Period: 1972
192 pages · Hardcover · University of Chicago Press