Truth in Public Life explores the difficulty in defining truth, its critical importance in civilised society and the challenges and threats to telling the truth in different public service settings. This short book is a potent reminder of how important truth is, even as it is threatened afresh.
In Truth in Public Life, three public servants--a theologian, an economist, and an ethicist--contend for both the existence and moral imperatives of absolute truth. Each argues that society, built on ethical leadership and communal accountability, cannot be sustained without a widespread commitment to objectivity. This commitment begins at the top: policymakers must resist political expediency, judges must believe victims, journalists must embrace complexity, and the public must hold its leaders accountable to consistent, ethical standards. This short book offers a potent reminder that in a world of fake news, state lies, and echo chambers, the truth matters more than ever. For our public institutions to survive, we must define and protect the truth against all comers
