Can Politics and Truth Coexist?

The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer

Dialogue, Science, Reason, Michaelshermer, Natural Sciences, Skeptic

4.4 • 921 Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do any of us really care about truth when it comes to politics? Should we? In a world of big lies, denialism, and conspiracy theories, democracies are experiencing two interlocked crises: a loss of confidence in democracy itself and the growing sense among many that politics is only about power—not truth.

In his new book, Michael Patrick Lynch argues that truth not only can—but must—matter in politics. He shows why truth is an essential democratic value—a value we need to sustain our democratic way of life—and how it can be strengthened.

Despite evidence that people are rarely motivated by truth when it comes to politics, Lynch argues that this isn’t inevitable. Contrary to the belief of many, political beliefs can be true or false. But if democracy is to continue to be a space of reason and not just an arena of power, we must build a better infrastructure of knowledge, including stronger schools and media, and renew our commitment to science and history.

Michael Patrick Lynch is Provost Professor of the Humanities and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. Lynch is the author or editor of ten books, including Know-it-All Society, The Internet of Us, Truth as One and Many, and the New York TimesSunday Book Review Editor’s pick, True to Life. He has spoken at TED and SXSW. In 2019 he was awarded The George Orwell Award, which recognizes writers who have made outstanding contributions to the critical analysis of public discourse. His new book is On Truth in Politics: Why Democracy Demands It.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to The Michael Shermer Show.
0:16.5	All right, everybody, it's time for another episode of the Michael Shermer show.
0:20.6	Brought to you, as always, by the Skeptic Society and Skeptic Magazine.
0:23.4	Now, my guest today has a book out about truth in politics.
0:28.7	I'm very interested in this topic.
0:29.9	As many of you know, my next book is called Truth, what it is, how to find it, why it still matters.
0:35.9	The publisher added Still in there, because I forgot that. Yeah, that's right. It always mattered, why it still matters. The publisher added still in there because I forgot that.
0:38.8	Yeah, that's right.
0:39.7	It always mattered, but it still matters.
0:42.1	I don't have a chapter on political truths because I realized the book was already too long.
0:48.2	But also, that's not really my wheelhouse.
0:50.3	And guess what?
0:51.2	My guest today wrote a book about that.
0:52.8	It's called On Truth in Politics. How about that for good timing? Why democracy demands it? He is Michael Patrick Lynch. He's a provost professor of the humanities and board of trustees, distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of Connecticut.
1:10.0	Dr. Lynch is the author or editor of 10 books, including Know at All Society,
1:15.4	the Internet of Us, Truth as One and Many,
1:19.9	and the New York Times Sunday book review editors pick, True to Life.
1:24.7	Can you tell he's into truth?
1:26.8	Lynch has held grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew
1:29.7	Mellon Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation, among others.
1:34.0	He spoke to Ted, yay Ted, the Nantucket Project, Chautauqua, and South by Southwest,
1:40.1	usually with an SXXW. In 2019, he was awarded the Georgia Oil Orwell Award, how cool is that,
	...

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