Title: To Tell the Truth: Ethics Unwrapped
Author: Fred L. Fox
Publisher: Wheatmark
ISBN: 1627879625
Pages: 127
Genre: Philosophy
Reviewed by: David Allen
Pacific Book Review
This book is a hands-on foray into ‘living the good life’ that will appeal to anyone interested in a no-nonsense approach to philosophy, meaning, and ethics. Like it or not, we are inhabitants of a ‘ball of confusion’ where stress, strife and meaninglessness are, like bad weather, just around the corner. To Tell the Truth: Ethics Unwrapped is a deeply intelligent, home-grown remedy for what ails us.
The book draws deeply upon time-honored thinkers and traditions, up to and including Kant, Descartes, Eastern philosophy and lots more. Readers who favor pedigreed back stories will especially like this. But author Fred L. Fox, (‘retired geologist, recovered widower, photographer, jazz accordionist ‘) doesn’t stop there. His truly refreshing approach is at once unique, pragmatic, and accessible.
For Fox, the meaning of life is – living. The purpose of life is – creating. The argument is ultimately convincing. There are certain a priori categories – qualities – that abide within, above and beyond temporal, social, and cultural nuance. These are: virtue, goodness, purity, integrity, compassion, empathy, excellence, decency, honesty, courtesy, respect, patience, dignity, character, forgiveness, honor, tolerance, and understanding.
Adhesion to these first principles guarantees an authentic practice of life and good, righteous, ethically sound living. ‘Family’, ‘self’ and ‘community’ are innately valid entities that exist beyond the transient ephemera of groups and law. There are echoes of Ayn Rand and Nietzsche here, but only in a life-and-liberty affirming sense. Fox’s rallying cry is never exclusionary. This book is a precious argument in favor of mindfulness, creativity, and compassion – key ingredients to living the good life.
The book, in less than one hundred pages, takes us beyond science – importantly, reliably, and persuasively. The author thinks critically about the new religion – Science – pointing out that science describes how things work, but never tells us why. Science is a phenomenology (observation) based discipline, the child of philosophy and metaphysics. Take a look before and beyond the ‘Big Bang’ and what do we find? Nothing…or at least a paucity of reasonable explanation. If the universe is 14 billion years old, what existed 15 billion years ago? With penetrating questions like these, Fred L. Fox mightily succeeds in resurrecting and validating meditative and mind-based practices, including Yoga and Buddhism. The book begins with philosophy and ends up with God. Not too shabby!
The emphasis on self and mind found here is awesome and empowering. Fox points out, again and again, that a single person can change the world. This sentiment is borne out by history and by the example of this fine and stirring book.
