Michael Patrick Lynch Will Speak About His New Book, KNOW-IT-ALL SOCIETY, at The Music Hall Loft

On Tuesday, September 24, the "philosopher of truth" (Jill Lepore, The New Yorker), Michael Patrick Lynch returns to The Music Hall Loft. He will discuss his latest book, KNOW-IT-ALL SOCIETY, a timely critique of our culture's narcissistic aversion to admitting when we are wrong.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation and an interview with Ian Aldrich, Deputy Editor at Yankee Magazine, followed by a Q&A and post-event book signing and meet-and-greet. It will be held at The Music Hall Loft at 131 Congress St., in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

"It's an incredible experience to delve beneath the surface of a book that's filled with such complexity and provocative insight," said Ian Aldrich, Deputy Editor at Yankee Magazine and the night's moderator. "I'm thrilled to discuss in more detail this philosophical examination of our society and the ramifications of the digital age that we're all a part of."

Michael Patrick Lynch's book KNOW-IT-ALL SOCIETY is a philosophical take on digital culture and its tendency to transform us into dogmatic know-it-alls. The spread of what Lynch calls "epistemic arrogance" makes us think we have nothing to learn from one another, rewards an unbending commitment to one's own opinions, and glorifies a defensive rejection of those who are different. Synthesizing years of research, Lynch offers a philosophical perspective on this crisis of arrogance in the age of the Internet. Delving deeply into three core ideas a?? overconfidence in our knowledge, the politics that feed off this tendency, and the way our social media encourages the supposed "end of truth"a??Lynch offers solutions for how we, individually and collectively, can reverse this dangerous trend. A bracing and thought-provoking work, KNOW-IT-ALL SOCIETY holds a mirror up to American culture and reveals the sources of our fragmentation to launch a powerful argument for the value of humility.

Michael Patrick Lynch is the director of the Humanities Institute and a professor of philosophy at the University of Connecticut. His previous books include True to Life, an Editor's Choice by the New York Times Book Review. A highly sought-after speaker around the world, he has appeared at such venues as TED and The Nantucket Project. A recipient of the Medal for Research Excellence from the University of Connecticut's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Lynch has held grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He lives in Storrs, Connecticut.

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