Pants on Fire: On Lying in Politics

This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and renowned intellectual historian Martin Jay, UC Berkeley. A thought-provoking book in dialogue format examining Martin Jay’s extensive research on lying in politics from Plato and St. Augustine to Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss which culminated in his book The Virtues of Mendacity. This carefully-edited book includes an introduction,The Varnished Truth, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter: I. A Fruitful Approach - Investigating “the political” II. The Liar’s Stage - From Machiavelli to political play-acting III. Lies, American Style - A central concern? IV. Transcending Kant - The Value of nuance V. Coming Clean - Appreciating what we know VI. Monological Dangers - Truth as the enemy of the political VII. Democracy - Its porous nature and implications VIII. Getting Worse? - In search of a Golden Age of truth-telling IX. Puritanical Dangers - Fanatical truth-telling X. Politics vs. Science - Similarities and differences XI. Summing Up - Admissions and conclusions About Ideas Roadshow Conversations Series: This book is part of an expanding series of 100+ Ideas Roadshow conversations, each one presenting a wealth of candid insights from a leading expert in a focused yet informal setting to give non-specialists a uniquely accessible window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be encountered through standard lectures and textbooks. For other books in this series visit our website: https://ideas-on-film.com/ideasroadshow/.