Truth

January 29, 2018
Novelist and communications consultant Macdonald (Rogue Elements) encourages his audience to “spot and neutralize the misleading truths”—in short, to think critically. A kernel of factuality is, he writes, what makes “competing truths”—the “many sides” to a story­—so powerful and dangerous. The book contains a number of useful tools, such as a set of descriptions for various communicators (advocates, misinformers, and misleaders). Whether the example involves distinguishing between famous paintings and their forgeries or conditioning soldiers to kill by euphemistically reframing combat as “engaging” or “dropping” the enemy, Macdonald shows how slippery the truth can be and how context, values, and definitions have to be factored in when determining the truth of a statement. The text is peppered with thought experiments and citations of research studies, and each chapter concludes with insightful tips, such as asking oneself, “If your audience knew everything you know about your subject, would they think you had portrayed it fairly?” Macdonald declares that he is not interested in “lies, alternative facts, conspiracy theories, fake news,” but his book is undoubtedly more relevant because of its relationships to these timely topics. Although not groundbreaking, this is a useful, commonsensical framework for making reasonable, responsible, and effective decisions. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management Literary.