Review of To Tell The Truth . . .

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Kaitlyn Canedy
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Review of To Tell The Truth . . .

Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "To Tell The Truth . . ." by StJ Lewis.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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There isn’t any doubt about the givens we have, including the right to breathe air, think to ourselves, and believe what we want to. But what is the truth? In other words, is there anything else in life that can be stated and proven true with absolute certainty? StJ Lewis attempts to explain this idea in his book To Tell The Truth… by using analogies and examples based on past and current events. He also explains the differences between ethics and morals and why they play roles in determining the truth.

The thing I liked most about the book is it explained individual thinking without group influence. According to the author, groups are vital for accomplishing common goals that each group has. However, his explanation of why they are not involved in an individual’s goals is enlightening. I also appreciated his explanation for why celebrity influence in fields that celebrities know nothing about is causing negative groupthink. When I finished reading this section, I started to wonder just how healthy social media use is for the good of humankind.

I also enjoyed the author’s explanations of the law and justice. These are touchy topics in today’s world, but StJ Lewis did a great job explaining their roles in philosophy. As much as I would like to give details about this section, I do not want to spoil the author’s take on this. All I will say is that any reader who has little to no experience with court cases or does not understand how the law works may find this chapter intriguing.

I picked up this book because I enjoy philosophy, but it was too complex to understand completely. Many concepts are abstract, which is not helpful for anyone who cannot picture these ideas. There was also an inconsistency towards the end of the book regarding the Big Bang theory. Throughout the book, the author says many things cannot be proven because none of us alive today can say with certainty that something happened one way. This idea is okay, but I didn’t think that referring to the Big Bang as factual was accurate. I found it to be contradictory to what the author had been telling his readers.

Only one grammatical error is in the book, so I have every reason to believe that it was professionally edited. Because of the Big Bang theory inconsistency and the difficulty of understanding many of the author’s ideas, I chose to rate this book with 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it two stars because I think the right reader will heartily enjoy it. I recommend this book to readers who are into advanced-level philosophical ideas. Religious ideas are in the book but not discussed in a discriminatory or favored way. If you decide to get this book, be prepared to do a lot of critical thinking.

******
To Tell The Truth . . .
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"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”- Mewtwo
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Precious Lynn
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Post by Precious Lynn »

I love philosophical content that examines social dynamics, but it is rare to come across books that avoid bias. The review's indication that the book does not discuss religious ideas in a favoured way makes me think that the author might be an objective thinker. Thanks for the review.
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Post by Theana De lima Araujo »

As enlightening as this book sounds, I already question much of what is purported to be fact. The author looking at what is actual truth is an interesting topic, but I guess one that doesn't have an answer. Throughout history facts and theories have been proven and disproven. It does sound like believing in the big bang doesn't make sense for this author's point of view. Thank you for the review and have a lovely day.
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Amy Luman
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Post by Amy Luman »

I think I’ll skip this one. When I’m reading I don’t want to have to think so much. I did enough of that in high school.
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Post by Pandora10 »

This sounds like it might be an interesting philosophical book as the author appears to have discussed some important topics. I can get his point about celebrities trying to influence others about subjects where they have little knowledge can cause negative group think. It would be interesting to see his explanation. I am curious about his explanations about law and justice. Thanks for the good review on this work.
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Post by Brandy_Nyongesa »

Am a lover of philosophical books. Though the fact that this book has very complex concepts I will pass this one. I will enjoy reading a book that one can easily understand. Great review.
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Kaitlyn Canedy
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

Precious Lynn wrote: 20 Aug 2021, 06:51 I love philosophical content that examines social dynamics, but it is rare to come across books that avoid bias. The review's indication that the book does not discuss religious ideas in a favoured way makes me think that the author might be an objective thinker. Thanks for the review.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. He does not seem to take a side in this matter. Instead, he wants the reader to critically think about the world and established beliefs. Thanks for the comment! :)
"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”- Mewtwo
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Kaitlyn Canedy
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

Theana D wrote: 20 Aug 2021, 06:59 As enlightening as this book sounds, I already question much of what is purported to be fact. The author looking at what is actual truth is an interesting topic, but I guess one that doesn't have an answer. Throughout history facts and theories have been proven and disproven. It does sound like believing in the big bang doesn't make sense for this author's point of view. Thank you for the review and have a lovely day.
Thank you for the comment! Because not a single person that is alive today was alive when the creation of the world occurred, there is no way to know with 100% certainty what happened. I believe that this is the mindset that the author had when writing this book. :)
"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”- Mewtwo
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Kaitlyn Canedy
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

Amy Luman wrote: 20 Aug 2021, 07:10 I think I’ll skip this one. When I’m reading I don’t want to have to think so much. I did enough of that in high school.
This was a funny comment not gonna lie! I will agree that if you do not like thinking about things too deeply, then you may not enjoy this book that much. It is written mostly from an objective point of view except for the big bang part. Thank you for reading and commenting on my review! :)
"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”- Mewtwo
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Kaitlyn Canedy
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

Pandora10 wrote: 20 Aug 2021, 22:04 This sounds like it might be an interesting philosophical book as the author appears to have discussed some important topics. I can get his point about celebrities trying to influence others about subjects where they have little knowledge can cause negative group think. It would be interesting to see his explanation. I am curious about his explanations about law and justice. Thanks for the good review on this work.
Thanks for the comment! I do believe that you would enjoy this book based on your comment. Even though I had a hard time with it, this does not mean that the book can't be enjoyed by those interested in hard-core philosophy. If you do decide to read it, let us know what you think! :)
"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant, it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”- Mewtwo
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Post by Precious DA »

Thanks for the review! I think I'd actually skip this one, it sounds like an interesting book though. However, I am not into philosophical books, unless I wouldn't be reading it for fun.
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Post by Courtney Hughes »

This doesn’t sound like the book for me. I have never found a philosophical book that I could really get into without wanting to fall asleep. Your review was thorough and I could tell that you were into the subject matter.
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Post by Paluk Pathania »

I really appreciate how you started your opinion, and it helped me with the plot and motive of the novel as well. I think it's a fascinating book to read. Thanks for a wonderful review!!
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