What Is Truth?

The opening of this piece really struck me:

Lance Armstrong, the former professional cyclist who was recently stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, has told his associates that he is weighing his options for making a public acknowledgment that he had doped during his cycling career, according to a person familiar with the matter.

His possible confession, if he goes forth with one, could enable Mr. Armstrong to begin the process of restoring his public reputation, which has been badly damaged in recent months.

This Kabuki theater of publicly considering whether to admit to something (thus making it absolutely clear, were it not so already, that the thing was done) underlines how low our expectations for truth telling have become in our culture.  The question of "what is the truth" seems to have taken a permanent back seat to "how shall we manage communication?"