Just the Facts

Why can't we seem to agree on facts? In this brief volume, sociologist Joel Best turns his inimitable eye toward the social construction of facts. He evaluates how facts emerge from our social worlds-including our beliefs, values, tastes, and norms-and according to those worlds' standards. By developing a sociological perspective towards what we think we know, he argues, we can better parse the use of facts and untruths around us.

This book examines how facts are created and supported through science, government, law, and journalism, revealing that facts are all claims. These claims are malleable and can change over time through fact-checking, revision, and sometimes rejection. Best guides us through these processes so that we can question our assumptions and understand why disputes happen in the first place. In a time of increasing social and political divide, Just the Facts urges us to resist defensiveness over our facts and approach our disputes in critical new ways.