In their new book, “Is That True? Discerning Truth in an Age of Deception”, Larry Willard and Chuck Stephens team up to confront the confusion and double-speak that are prevalent in today's media news. In Parts I and II, Larry tackles how media news evolved from reporting news to what has now really become infotainment, obscuring the issues of truth with intentional mixes of partisan deception. He then takes a hard look at the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, noting where it is going and asks if there is a danger that it may lead us into artificial truth without built-in safeguards. In Part III, Chuck goes back to the future, to the days of clear divisions between right and wrong, warning that the post-modern remix of subjective, objective, and revealed truth is changing the meaning of truth, suggesting that our ethical plumb line is wobbling. He presents key perspectives of 24 major issues being debated in the public space in the ingenious, unique format borrowed from the old popular TV celebrity panel program, “To Tell the Truth”, complete with four illustrious panelists, who probe three challengers-right, left, and middle. The exchanges present us with a toolbox of tips and skills to help screen out deception. Chuck argues that objectivity and subjectivity are not enough. There must be a place for revealed truth.
