Michael P. Lynch | |
---|---|
Era | Contemporary philosophy |
Region | Western philosophy |
School | Analytic |
Main interests |
Truth Epistemology |
Michael Patrick Lynch [1] is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. He is also the director of the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute. [2] As director of the Humanities Institute, he has headed a Templeton-funded project on humility and conviction in public life. [3]
Lynch's early work focused on his pluralist theory of truth. He holds that truth is a functional property, i.e. that it is characterized by a particular function that can be realized in many different ways. For instance, some truths might realize truth's function by corresponding to reality while others might do so by cohering with a larger set of propositions. [4] [5] His work on the value of truth has also attracted attention, including critical reactions from philosophers ranging from Marian David [6] to Richard Rorty. [7]
Lynch has also worked on epistemology, especially epistemological issues related to big data and democracy. [8] Lynch argues for the importance of intellectual humility in democracy. [9]
Lynch is the author of Truth in Context ( MIT Press, 1998), True to Life (MIT Press, 2004), Truth as One and Many (OUP, 2009), In Praise of Reason (MIT, 2012), and The Internet of Us: Knowing More and Understanding Less in the Age of Big Data ( Liveright Publishing, 2016) as well as many professional philosophical articles. [10] [11] [12] [13] He was editor of the volume The Nature of Truth: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives (Bradford Books, 2001), co-editor with Professor Heather Battaly of the volume Perspectives on the Philosophy of William P. Alston (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005), as well as co-editor with Professor Patrick Greenough of the volume Truth and Realism (OUP, 2006). [14] [15] [16]
Lynch won the Orwell Award in 2019 for his book Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture. [17]