{"id":135452,"date":"2024-11-19T09:39:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T13:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=135452"},"modified":"2024-11-20T09:53:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T13:53:38","slug":"friedrich-nietzsche-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does it mean to search for truth? Can anyone truly be objective when exploring life&#8217;s biggest questions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Friedrich Nietzsche, truth\u2014at least objective truth\u2014is a futile pursuit. This is because we humans can&#8217;t escape subjectivity. Challenging the foundation of Western philosophy, he argues that our cultural beliefs and personal perspectives always influence our thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to understand why even our most basic assumptions about truth and knowledge might not be as solid as we think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-friedrich-nietzsche-on-truth\">Friedrich Nietzsche on Truth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, philosophers in the Western tradition are all about pursuing truth. But, for Friedrich Nietzsche, truth isn&#8217;t a straightforward proposition. He opens his book <em>Beyond <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/good-versus-evil\/\">Good and Evil<\/a><\/em> with a critique of existing philosophy. He argues that <strong>the entire Western philosophical canon is dogmatic\u2014that is, it\u2019s based on a major unprovable assumption<\/strong>. We&#8217;ll explain the major assumption behind philosophy as well as Nietzsche\u2019s challenge to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Nietzsche was not the first philosopher to accuse the Western canon of dogmatism. For example, 18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume argued that the certainty of cause-and-effect relationships was a dogmatic belief. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/9662\/9662-h\/9662-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding<\/em><\/a>, he argued that humans can\u2019t definitively prove cause-and-effect relationships because they\u2019re based on our limited subjective experience. We believe a pencil will fall when we let go of it because this is what has always happened, but we have no way of definitively proving it will fall every time forever. But, while Hume criticizes specific beliefs, Nietzsche challenges the <em>entire <\/em>Western philosophical canon.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-major-assumption-truth-exists\">The Major Assumption: Truth Exists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nietzsche explains that <strong>the major assumption underlying the Western philosophical canon is the belief in objective truth<\/strong>, or truth according to a universal standard that doesn\u2019t rely on anyone\u2019s individual perspective. For centuries, philosophers framed their work as attempts to discover this truth. They tried to avoid using their subjective perspectives and instead used standards they believed were objective, such as reason and logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, 17th-century French philosopher Ren\u00e9 Descartes\u2019s <em>Meditations on First Philosophy<\/em> attempts to prove the existence of God and the soul. To ensure he remains objective, Descartes refuses to use any of his subjective past experiences or perceptions in this philosophical project until he can objectively prove they\u2019re reliable. Without experience or perceptions, Descartes can at first only be objectively certain of one thing: <strong>I think, therefore I am<\/strong>. In other words, he has to exist because he thinks, and you can\u2019t think if you don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Nietzsche blames Plato for Western philosophy\u2019s focus on objective truth. To better understand what the search for objective truth entails, we can examine Plato\u2019s theory of the forms, best described in <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-republic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Republic<\/em><\/a>. Plato argued that beyond our sensory experience lies <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-republic#allegory-2-the-divided-line\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a realm of perfect, unchanging forms<\/a> that represent the true essence of things. For instance, a physical chair is just an imperfect manifestation of the ideal form of \u201cchairness.\u201d He said these forms exist independently of perceivable objects and can only be discovered through reason and intellect. Nietzsche argues that Plato\u2019s theory of the forms set a precedent for Western philosophy to prioritize objective standards\u2014reason and logic\u2014over subjective experience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-challenging-the-major-assumption\">Challenging the Major Assumption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nietzsche argues that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives<\/strong>. He explains that human thoughts can\u2019t exist independently of our perceptions, beliefs, and opinions, which come from our culture and values. We can\u2019t appeal to an \u201cobjective standard\u201d such as logic, reason, or cause and effect because we all have differing beliefs and opinions about what those concepts mean.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Descartes\u2019s \u201cI think, therefore I am\u201d relies on subjectivity. His understanding of what it means to think or exist, and even his understanding of the self (\u201cI\u201d), all come from his subjective experiences. He learned what these words and ideas meant from the specific perspective of his society and culture, not from a universal standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Nietzsche&#8217;s background informs his argument that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth. <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-3-031-42272-0_7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">His main field was philology<\/a>, or the study of language and how it evolves based on cultural context. In <em>Beyond Good and Evil<\/em>, Nietzsche applies a philological perspective to the language used in philosophical arguments, showing how the meanings of words change over time. Based on this perspective, he argues that since the very words used in philosophical arguments come from a specific cultural context, they\u2019re subjective instead of universal.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does it mean to search for truth? Can anyone truly be objective when exploring life&#8217;s biggest questions? According to Friedrich Nietzsche, truth\u2014at least objective truth\u2014is a futile pursuit. This is because we humans can&#8217;t escape subjectivity. Challenging the foundation of Western philosophy, he argues that our cultural beliefs and personal perspectives always influence our thinking. Keep reading to understand why even our most basic assumptions about truth and knowledge might not be as solid as we think.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":135480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1661],"class_list":["post-135452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","tag-beyond-good-and-evil","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit - Shortform Books %<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Friedrich Nietzsche asserts that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives. Here&#039;s his argument.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Friedrich Nietzsche asserts that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives. Here&#039;s his argument.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-19T13:39:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-20T13:53:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-19T13:39:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-20T13:53:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\"},\"wordCount\":761,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Beyond Good and Evil\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Philosophy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\",\"name\":\"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit - Shortform Books %\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-19T13:39:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-20T13:53:38+00:00\",\"description\":\"Friedrich Nietzsche asserts that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives. Here's his argument.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp\",\"width\":1344,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"A woman with a dark blue shirt and a ponytail looking at \\\"Truth?\\\" written on a chalkboard\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit - Shortform Books %","description":"Friedrich Nietzsche asserts that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives. Here's his argument.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit","og_description":"Friedrich Nietzsche asserts that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives. Here's his argument.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-11-19T13:39:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-20T13:53:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1344,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit","datePublished":"2024-11-19T13:39:46+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-20T13:53:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/"},"wordCount":761,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp","keywords":["Beyond Good and Evil"],"articleSection":["Philosophy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/","name":"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit - Shortform Books %","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp","datePublished":"2024-11-19T13:39:46+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-20T13:53:38+00:00","description":"Friedrich Nietzsche asserts that humans can\u2019t obtain objective truth\u2014all philosophy comes from subjective perspectives. Here's his argument.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp","width":1344,"height":768,"caption":"A woman with a dark blue shirt and a ponytail looking at \"Truth?\" written on a chalkboard"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/friedrich-nietzsche-truth\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Friedrich Nietzsche: Truth Is a Slippery Pursuit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-looking-at-truth-on-blackboard.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135452"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135471,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135452\/revisions\/135471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}