Seeking truth together
In the Hedgehog and the Fox (1953), Isaiah Berlin speculates on Leo Tolstoy’s inner turmoil. The famous Russian author self-sabotaged his own happiness (Valiunas, 1989). And Berlin suggests Tolstoy’s insatiable desire to find life’s unifying and absolute truth or principle may have been one of the reasons for his persistent discontent.
Heather Ann Thompson’s “Blood in the Water” chronicles the 1971 Attica Uprising, highlighting systemic racism and injustice in American prisons. The book details the uprising’s context, violence, and legal aftermath, including a class action lawsuit settled 25 years later for $12 million, illustrating the gap between conviction and true justice.
Bell Hooks’ book “The Will to Change” (2005) highlights cultural sickness and the need for empathy, responsibility, and a will to change to address it. She contrasts domination with partnership, shame with self-esteem, fear with courage, and rage with nonviolence in the context of a patriarchal society. Hooks calls for a shift towards empathy, responsibility, and change.
Deliberating Truth 