The Fragility of Truth

The Fragility of Truth: From Plato's Cave to the Digital Age traces how the idea of truth has been pursued, challenged, and reshaped across more than two thousand years. From Plato and Aristotle through Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Nietzsche, Freud, and into today's digital age, Alan Bennett explores why truth has always seemed elusive and why it matters more than ever.This book shows how truth has been imagined as universal, constructed by power, lived in commitments, and defended in courts, governments, science, and journalism. It connects ancient philosophy with contemporary debates over misinformation, politics, and technology, revealing how truth can guide us even when fractured or contested.Clear, engaging, and timely, The Fragility of Truth is both a history and a call to action. It reminds us that while truth may be fragile, the search for it is humanity's oldest and most necessary task.