The Future of Truth by Werner Herzog

I'll begin with my truth, I really like Werner Herzog. He is an interesting chap, who has made some outstanding films and documentaries, including my absolute favourite. I've read a number of his books, and enjoy hearing his 'voice' lift from the page.

This tiny book is a hundred pages. Ninety minutes maybe two hours. One enormous question. What is truth, and how do we find it when deepfakes and fake news have wrecked the whole idea?

Herzog has been chasing this his entire life. His answer hasn't changed. Facts are the "truth of accountants". Boring. Dead. The real thing is ecstatic. Poetic. Often invented. It hides behind reality instead of sitting on top of it.

So he roams. Ramses lying about a battle in ancient Egypt. Potemkin and his fake villages. Scott and Amundsen racing to the Pole. Alien abductions. AI. Herzog's own films, again and again. It's brilliant fun. Reading it feels like a fireside tale from your strangest uncle.

At one point, Herzog burns five pages recapping the plot of a Verdi opera then just stops. He admits he can't do the philosophy, then does it anyway.

If you want a tidy argument, this will annoy you.

I took two key things away.

Truth is a verb, not a noun. Herzog treats it as a journey with no arrival. His closing line: truth has no future and no past, but we cannot stop searching. The striving is what gives life meaning.

I read it for the voice, not the verdict. This isn't a study. It's a provocation. I enjoyed reading this fierce man saying exactly what he wants.

Don't come looking for a definition. He never gives you one, and he knows it.

Overall, the book a bit of a mess. Some of the chapters read like blog posts and just finish without conclusion.

However, I guarantee you'll walk away from the book with a reinvigorated curiosity for finding and following the truth.