Truth Still Matters (And Here's Why)
The Michael Shermer Show
Michael Shermer
4.3 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Michael Shermer walks through the core ideas behind his new book Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, breaking down how humans confuse meaning with reality, stories with facts, and confidence with correctness.
He also explains why changing your mind is a strength, not a flaw; why extraordinary claims really do require extraordinary evidence; and why "just asking questions" isn't as innocent as it sounds.
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"Michael Shermer reminds us that the search for truth is not a luxury, but a necessity. This book is a powerful argument for why reality matters and a practical toolkit for how to find it."
―Sabine Hossenfelder
"Michael Shermer has a fine record as a long-time crusader for evidenced rationality. This fascinating and wide-ranging book should further enhance his impact on current controversies."
―Lord Martin Rees
"Michael Shermer is one of our most influential intellectuals. Truth lances the myth of truth's subjectivity, arguing (provocatively) that truth can generate moral absolutes. This stimulating, excellent book inspires you to spread the word that the Earth is not flat and that truth matters."
―Robert Sapolsky
"Michael Shermer has spent his career grappling with the slipperiest word in our language: truth. As someone who knows firsthand what happens when truth gets lost in noise and narrative, I'm grateful for Shermer's clear-eyed insistence that truth is not only real, but necessary."
―Amanda Knox
"Michael Shermer pulls no punches: in a world where opinion too often masquerades as fact, he dismantles delusion and arms us with the tools to meet reality head-on."
―Brian Greene
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everyone. It's Michael Shermer. It's time for another episode of the Michael Schumer show. Today it's |
| 0:05.8 | Tuesday, January 27th, pub date for my new book. Here it is. Just came out today. It's called |
| 0:13.5 | Truth, what it is, how to find it, and why it still matters. Okay, so today's episode is going to be devoted to this. |
| 0:23.1 | I'm going to just read a few excerpts here and there, |
| 0:25.6 | make some just off the cuff unscripted commentary about the different chapters in the book |
| 0:30.7 | and what my goal is of the book. |
| 0:32.7 | And the reason to do this is to get you go buy the book. |
| 0:35.5 | Okay, there are a lot of books there's a lot of content |
| 0:38.6 | there's just a lot out there i know it's a crowded field and we're all kind of scrambling by we |
| 0:45.5 | i mean authors um to get a little bit of toehold on the public attention which is very crowded |
| 0:52.9 | with uh endless content. |
| 0:55.0 | So I would appreciate it. |
| 0:56.8 | If you just hit pause right now, go straight to Amazon and order truth. |
| 1:02.8 | Just type in truth, comma, Sherman. |
| 1:04.7 | It'll pop right up. |
| 1:06.1 | Or you can go to your local bookstore. |
| 1:08.2 | Some will carry it. |
| 1:09.2 | Some will order it for you which is also good |
| 1:12.5 | or if you would like a personalized autograph copy go to skeptic.com and just click under shop and then |
| 1:20.7 | my name will come up shirmer books you'll see all my books there and you'll see the truth book |
| 1:25.8 | and just when you order it there'd just be a |
| 1:28.4 | little window but you can say what you would like me to if you'd like me to personalize it who |
... |
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