Título: Sacrificing Truth
Autor: Nachman Ben-Yehuda
Sinopse: According to a patriotic legend still current in Israel, in 73 C.E., 960 Jewish rebels committed mass suicide at the desert fortress of Masada rather than surrender to the overwhelming force of their Roman oppressors. This version of what happened at Masada is based on perhaps the most famous Israeli archaeological dig in recent history-the 1963-1965 excavation of Masada led by Prof. Yigael Yadin, whose work at this site elevated him to the status of a national hero. Is this story a true picture of the real events at the ancient wilderness stronghold? According to sociologist Nachman Ben-Yehuda, Masada provides a casebook study of how the search for scientific truth can be influenced by the pressures of a cultural agenda. In this fascinating analysis of history in the making, Ben-Yehuda closely examines the day-by-day transcripts of the archaeologists' conversations at Masada to determine the way in which they evaluated the findings. He skillfully demonstrates that the interpretation of the artifacts uncovered during the dig was significantly affected by the process of nation-building and the forging of a national identity, which was then underway in Israel. Nation-building required a heroic past, and the pressure of this requirement subtly led to concealing facts and even falsifying the historical evidence. Why did the archaeologists involved, all scientifically trained scholars, ignore scientific evidence in favor of a version of history that now appears to be largely a myth? The answer to this question is the focus of this study, which looks not only at Masada but at the whole issue of deception in science and the social construction of knowledge. Beyond this, Ben-Yehuda considers the larger question of how society creates the symbolic moral boundaries between truth and deception, as well as the subtle interplay of science, politics, and ideology. Peso: 307g. Dimensões: 23 x 16 x 1.
Contexto da obra
Dentro do catálogo, este livro pode ser situado a partir do tema, da autoria e da proposta editorial. “Sacrificing Truth”, de Nachman Ben-Yehuda, publicado pela editora Prometheus Books e com 275 páginas, integra a categoria Arqueologia. Esse enquadramento pode tornar mais clara a proposta do livro e o tipo de interesse que ele costuma despertar.
Editora: Prometheus Books
Páginas: 275
Ano:
Edição:
ISBN:
ISBN13: 9781573929530
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Prometheus Books oferecem uma experiência de leitura que combina rigor analítico com temas complexos, abordados de forma acessível e detalhada. O catálogo apresenta obras que exploram desde debates filosóficos sobre amor e sexualidade até análises históricas profundas, como a política alemã antes da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Há também textos que discutem questões sociais contemporâneas, como a comunicação entre diferentes culturas profissionais e a abordagem da morte na sociedade. O tom varia entre o didático e o reflexivo, com narrativas que podem ser tanto argumentativas quanto baseadas em pesquisa documental, sempre com linguagem clara e envolvente. Essa diversidade sugere um interesse editorial em temas que exigem pensamento crítico, frequentemente com foco em ciências humanas, história e ciência.
