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Inspired by her Harvard course on “The History of Evidence,” acclaimed historian Jill Lepore joins us for this very special benefit presentation about our changing understanding of truth. Lepore discusses the history of Western Europe and the United States, from middle ages to present, looking at the evolution of what is considered “proof.” Across law, history, science, and journalism, the rules and standards of evidence have changed with the rise of empiricism in the nineteenth century, the questioning of truth in the twentieth, and the consequences of the digital revolution in the twenty-first. What do the changing rules of what makes something true mean to our world, and to your life? Don’t miss this quintessential Town Hall voice in a one-of-a-kind discussion.
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ‘41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, her many books include the international bestseller, These Truths.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle.