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AbstractThis article is a critique of the notion of post-truth. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, I argue that the epistemological crisis suggested by the notion of post-truth is epiphenomenal to a more general crisis of authority, a crisis that is poorly understood in the literature. I also argue that revisiting Arendt's account of authority can help us elucidate the vexed dynamics of authority in modern society, as well as the dynamics behind its current crisis. The post-truth situation is a loss of authority that is political before it presents as epistemological. Effectively addressing this situation, I conclude, is a much more challenging and complex proposition than what is suggested in the literature on post-truth.

Different philosophical & theological perspectives on the nature of truth are examined to assess whether or not truth is historical. Among the several perspectives discussed are: the New Testament's notion of truth; Soren Kierkegaard's dictum that truth is subjective; Martin Heidegger's understanding of truth, which extols art as the highest form of truth because of its noncorrespondence with reality; & Michel Foucault's idea of truth as inextricably bound with power relations. Several real world examples are given to show how different kinds of truth are used to inform actions in everyday life. It is concluded that truth is indeed historical, but it is also a regulative idea that is anchored in whatever an individual wishes to consider true; in this respect, truth is idiosyncratic & subjective. W. Howard

The truth commission is an increasingly common fixture of newly democratic states with repressive or strife-ridden pasts. From South Africa to Haiti, truth commissions are at work with varying degrees of support and success. To many, they are the best--or only--way to achieve a full accounting of crimes committed against fellow citizens and to prevent future conflict. Others question whether a restorative justice that sets the guilty free, that cleanses society by words alone, can deter future abuses and allow victims and their families to heal. Here, leading philosophers, lawyers, social s