Taka  +  261892 Sat, 02 Sep 06 03:01 PM We are surrounded by our civilization, hardly recognizing to what extent that is the case. It's everyone's conviction that things have been pretty much as they are now, allowing only perhaps for very minor variations. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are living at this moment somewhere along the life span of a civilization, which will some day decline and die, to be replaced by another in which all that we believed and accomplished will seem strange and and old-fashioned. ---------- I'm not sure I really understand what the author is trying to say by 'Nothing could be further from the truth' here. Can you help me? Taka Joined on Tue, Sep 7 2004 Japan Senior Member 2,625

	Marius Hancu  +  261898 Sat, 02 Sep 06 03:16 PM --------- If you say that something could not be further from the truth, you are saying that what has been suggested is not true:  I'm certainly not in love with him -- nothing could be further from the truth! http://dictionary.cambridge.org --------- Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673

	Taka  +  261906 Sat, 02 Sep 06 03:32 PM  Marius Hancu wrote: --------- If you say that something could not be further from the truth, you are saying that what has been suggested is not true:  Hmm...How can it be so? What kind of logic is there behind? I mean, it's NOT further, NOT at a greater distance, from the truth, right? Then, shouldn't it be somewhat close to the truth? Taka

	Maple  +  261910 Sat, 02 Sep 06 03:45 PM My two cents: "Nothing could be further from the truth" here is a connecting link between the preceding and the following, suggesting a meaning turn. The sentence itself means the preceding is completely  wrong. Maple Joined on Tue, Jul 11 2006 An ESL student in China Contributing Member 1,110

	Taka  +  261914 Sat, 02 Sep 06 03:54 PM  Marius Hancu wrote: what has been suggested (in the previous sentences) is not true Then, is it some sort of ellipsis of, say, 'Nothing could be further from the truth than that'? Taka

	Aperisic  +  261919 Sat, 02 Sep 06 04:04 PM Step by step The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else beyond what is said could be further from the truth = The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else [beyond what is said] could be further from the truth = The thing said is so far from the truth that nothing else could be further from the truth = [The thing said is so far from the truth that] nothing else could be further from the truth = Nothing else could be further from the truth = Nothing [else] could be further from the truth = Nothing could be further from the truth Aperisic Joined on Fri, Jul 21 2006 Full Member 409

	Ant_222  +  261921 Sat, 02 Sep 06 04:14 PM «Hmm...How can it be so? What kind of logic is there behind? I mean, it's NOT further, NOT at a greater distance, from the truth, right? Then, shouldn't it be somewhat close to the truth?» Logic is correct here. It's like the definituon of supremum. That is, a statement whereof nothing can be further from the truth, is the furthest statement from the the truth. And the distance is meant in metric (or not metric?) space of distinction. So, «nothing could be more distinct from the truth». That is, nothing is true in this statement. Ant_222 Joined on Sun, May 21 2006 Podolsk, Russia Contributing Member 1,717

	nona the brit  +  261964 Sat, 02 Sep 06 06:56 PM Nothing could be further from the truth. This doesn't say that 'it' is not further from the truth. It is saying that nothing else could be even further away from the truth. This is as far away from the truth as possible. Therefore, it is completely untrue. Imagine a scale of truthfullness - 1 to 5, with 1 being an absolute lie and 5 being the absolute truth. If we are at 1, nothing else could be further from the truth than us. We are as far from the truth as we could possibly get. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.