Title: Choosing Truth
Subtitle: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Discover It
Subject Classification:  Philosophy, Sociology, Politics and Government  
BIC Classification: HP, JP, JF
BISAC Classification: PHI004000, SOC052000, POL042000
Binding: Hardback, eBook
Publication date: 05 Jun 2025
ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-83711-298-2
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-83711-299-9

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Description

Truth is deeply consequential; truth is the fundamental requirement for justice – in a court of law, for addressing threats to democracy and good governance, climate change, inequality, racism, poverty, gun violence, conflict among nations, and weapons of mass destruction. Commitment to truth underpins any effort to overcome ignorance, obfuscation, propaganda, fallacy and a culture burdened with disinformation. But while we are influenced by claims of truth, we don’t always know what truth is, and how much it matters. While sustaining a standard of truth has always been difficult, a perfect storm of declining commitment to fact-based media practices and patterns of “normalized” dishonesty seems to have emerged. It has been said that “truth is not dying, it’s being killed”.

Given that we are constrained in our ability to act in defense of what we don’t understand, the authors aim to set out a coherent and comprehensive account of the meaning and implications of truth in the range of contexts that are meaningful for us as individuals, as civilized societies, and as a species. Choosing Truth explores truth in its multiple dimensions and manifestations and presents novel and pragmatic concepts that integrate the content and application of truth-seeking approaches.

This important and timely new book can act as a text or supplemental reading in practical philosophy, but also in an array of disciplines where truth is deeply meaningful, such as education, political science/public policy, management, journalism, and environmental science. Choosing Truth can also be used by organizational change agents seeking to foster learning and adaptation in organizations.

Biography

Author(s):  Neil Douglas has been a systems engineer, technical and senior executive in technology-based organizations and an academic hospital. Terry Wykowski holds post graduate degrees from the University of Oxford (UK) and Hunter College of the City University of New York. She has a background in counseling, training and organizational development.

Together, partnering as consultants, researchers and authors based in Houston, Texas USA, they blend their passions to help management, clinical, research and operations teams in universities, hospitals and global companies reach their potential. They have evolved their consulting practice, related research and writing to focus on seeking truth in a practical sense, helping organizations align culture, direction, and action with relevant reality.

Reviews

"To the authors of this book, truth matters in a profound sense. Denying it fosters epistemic indifference, a laziness or aloofness to serious engagement, a carelessness about misevaluations, an inclination to faddish indulgences and storytelling. As such this book is invaluable in every way to philosophy as much as everyday life—as a thinking tool, a reminder of the relevance of truth and as a guide to a sustained argument in defense of objective truth. It offers a concerted effort to stem against the very real dangers of relativism and skepticism, and against a climate of truth denialism, conspiracy mongering and the blatant misrepresentation of facts. Never more than now is it important to fight against those that are out to confuse and divide society and make it impossible for people to enter into constructive exchange with one another—the fundamental precondition for democratic conversations. If the societies of this planet were to make it through the next few decades and the disorientating changes that are upon us unscathed, we will be obliged to approach the future with a clear head, a clear grasp of the circumstances and a clear goal—that is, a grasp of the predicament in which we all find ourselves. Now more than ever does truth matter."
- Julia Weckend. Ph.D, The University of Oxford

"Choosing Truth is a remarkably comprehensive and comprehensible treatment of truth and related topics and why it matters in the real world. Choosing Truth is unambiguous: objective truth exists and there is no social, economic, and planetary justice without it! The connection between truth and justice along with the nature of truth itself are explored with great clarity, depth, scope, sense of urgency, pragmatism, and optimism in this book. It is an essential read and an indispensable source of reference for anyone concerned about and seeking to have an impact on the threats and opportunities facing us."
- Thom Hartmann, radio and television personality, progressive commentator, and New York Times best-selling author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late.

"In Choosing Truth, Douglas and Wykowski provide a critical and timely analysis of what truth is, how truth is being subverted, and most importantly, why truth matters. They argue that truth precedes justice, and without it, there is simply no justice. Truth is regrettably being “subverted and obfuscated”, threatened and diminished with increasing frequency, and it is being threatened by those who seek to deny, avoid, or manipulate unwanted realities, such as the legitimacy of evidence and science. Deniers that objective reality and truth exist are emboldened by the nuanced nature of truth, and the fact that truth is not always simple and absolute. In the end, truth matters because as the authors powerfully state, “it is our responsibility to reject falsehood on moral and pragmatic grounds, and to act based on that which is true about human nature, public health, sustainably living on the planet, governing ourselves with intelligence, compassion, equity, and fairness."
- Raymond Sawaya, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, and Raja N. Khuri Dean, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut. Emeritus Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

"I have had the privilege of immersing myself in the pages of Choosing Truth. It is an experience that has profoundly impacted my perspective. What Douglas and Wykowski have masterfully achieved is the art of simplifying complex concepts, making them accessible to all. Their work delves deep into the very essence of truth, its relevance in our daily lives, and the dire consequences of its absence in our society. It stands as a powerful reminder of the critical importance of seeking truth and ensuring our beliefs align with reality.This book stands as a clarion call for the relentless pursuit of knowledge and the alignment of our beliefs with objective reality. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a deeper comprehension of truth, belief, and their profound implications for our world. It is an essential read for those who aspire to navigate the intricate tapestry of our modern society with clarity, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to truth."
- Michael Thambynayagam, PhD, Retired Schlumberger Scientist, Former CEO & Managing Director of Schlumberger Gould Research Plc, Cambridge, UK

"Choosing Truth is an arresting title for this challenging and seminal book, extending the authors’ earlier work on belief and knowledge to confront the question of truth itself. A timely and unsettling call for reflection but also a profound check on the challenges to truth in our divided and increasingly virtual world."
- Dame Lynne Brindley, Master Pembroke College, Oxford (Retired), and former Chief Executive of The British Library

"Truth is often found in both the sometimes apparently contradictory constituents of a specific reality and the larger whole of that reality. This piecing together of different realities to form a new and different reality has been a driving force and a path to discovery in my scientific work and a source of frustration, disappointment and suboptimal results when narrow and non-integrated perspectives predominate. This idea, expressed as complementarity, is one of the core themes of the book Choosing Truth: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Discover It. The authors aim to help the reader usefully comprehend the intersection of reality, belief and knowledge around the central concept of truth. Based on the insights of philosophers, scientists and other thought leaders throughout intellectual history with an original and pragmatic twist, the authors provide a framework for making sense and use of the facts as well as rejection of the non-facts or false beliefs that that surround and seek to influence us every day."
- Gordon Klein, M.D., Senior Scientist and Adjunct Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, and Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine

"In my life’s work in education and Anthropology, a major theme has been to seek truth in people, cultures and behaviors. Choosing Truth cuts through the dark forces of deceit, hypocrisy and misinformation. My legacy is to present the truth about the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. This book is a timeless resource for not only the past and present but as a guide to the future. Douglas and Wykowski delve into the best of science today and interweave objective thinking throughout several disciplines including AI to extract an invaluable methodology for truth. They overcome dualistic analysis because truth is often nuanced and requires critical thinking. The timing for this book could not be better when books are being banned, history is being altered and technology is at our disposal as either a tool for truth or untruth. More than ever, unadulterated, unadorned and pure truth is necessary for creating and maintaining free and civilized cultures throughout our diverse world and Choosing Truth accomplishes this!"
- David Hodges, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology (Retired), Hunter College, City University of New York.