Review by Choice Review
Despite Bailey's beginning with an exploration of "What is Truth?," truth is not a concern, for he holds that in the political world truth is morally illusive. Objective truth is rarely a primary concern for politicians. In defense, he cites numerous and detailed examples taken from India rather than ones from the US political scene. For Bailey, "Life certainly political life is a dialogue between the three forms of untruth deceit, error or fiction and the illusion of truth." Since power is the core of political life, truth and untruth are its instruments. Not having the ability to know what is objectively certain, Bailey puts aside Plato's "What is truth?" and concentrates on how the concept "truth" and its opposite are "used to manipulate an interaction and define a solution" (p. 127). Bailey would have us question every assertion, not for the purpose of uncovering reality, but for discovering the consequences of having one or another value-truth prevail. By such questioning, we are not pawns in the hands of politicians and even academicians. The consequence of Bailey's thesis is that "The world is thus becoming alarmingly relativist [with] everyone. . .having his own truth" (p. 95). In such a world, what hope is left for mankind? Excellent bibliography. A must for the educated person.-J. G. Grassi, Fairfield University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Taking up some of the threads of his work Humbuggery and Manipulation: The Art of Leadership, anthropologist Bailey explores the manifestations of untruth (error, deceit and fiction), its role in our private and public lives, and its connection to the exercise of power. Although scholarly in tone, his arguments are clear and straightforward. (Not coincidentally, deconstructionists and post-modern anthropologists take their knocks here.) According to Bailey, a culture's ``truths'' are not absolute; they are agreed-upon fabrications essential to individuals and their society. These include ``collusive lying'' (in which two parties agree to ignore a falsity), such as an Indian wedding ceremony that masks the lengthy negotiations that preceded the marriage; as well as lies to adversaries, exemplified by the ethnographer's quandary regarding the reliability of his informants. Concluding that truth and untruth are rhetorical weapons, Bailey finds a spur to action. ``Question every assertion that purports to be ` the truth,' '' he says. If we don't, we're ``sitting ducks'' for anyone who claims to possess it, whether politician, religious fundamentalist or even academician. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Choice Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
