I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with good sense, reason, and intellect, has intended us to forego their use. (Galileo)
Galileo said that only falsehood need fear scrutiny and "skeptical investigation." He believed that truth is strong enough to withstand any opposition. This implies that truth is a stand-alone entity, not subject to individual interpretation, and that kind of goes against the modern school of thought implying all truth is subjective, depending on the person and circumstances surrounding it.
For example, Mahatma Gandhi suggested that everyone has to look into their own hearts and be "guided by the truth" as they see it there, and that no one has the right to force others to accept their particular version of the truth. There is nothing wrong with this stance as long as everyone keeps their opinions to themselves and as long as they take Henry James' advice about, "The first thing to learn in intercourse with others is non-interference with their own peculiar ways of being happy, provided their ways do not presume to interfere by violence with ours."
But if we all have our own individual versions of truth, then how can we ever achieve unification or come to a concensus about truth? And why would we even want to, you may ask? The reason I think it is important to first define and then agree upon what is true/truth is because I personally think there may actually be something to the new branch of science of Noetics. I certainly do not ever want to lose our individual traits and abilities or become clones of one another, but a unified belief system or shared values would go a long way to creating a peaceful planet.
So which is it? Is there such a thing as basic truth, unchangeable and irrefutable? Or is truth always in the eye of the beholder, or in a state of constant flux? Is the truth subjective or is it only waiting to be discovered? Or is it general acceptance of a fact that makes it true, as when we all thought the world was flat, ala Aristotle, until first Copernicus then Galileo et al proved otherwise? First things first, I guess. Nosce te ipsum ... Know Thyself. That's what I hope this blog becomes for me ... a journey of self-discovery and shared knowledge, a common ground truth forum that benefits as many as want to join me on my search for truth.
Galileo said that only falsehood need fear scrutiny and "skeptical investigation." He believed that truth is strong enough to withstand any opposition. This implies that truth is a stand-alone entity, not subject to individual interpretation, and that kind of goes against the modern school of thought implying all truth is subjective, depending on the person and circumstances surrounding it.
For example, Mahatma Gandhi suggested that everyone has to look into their own hearts and be "guided by the truth" as they see it there, and that no one has the right to force others to accept their particular version of the truth. There is nothing wrong with this stance as long as everyone keeps their opinions to themselves and as long as they take Henry James' advice about, "The first thing to learn in intercourse with others is non-interference with their own peculiar ways of being happy, provided their ways do not presume to interfere by violence with ours."
But if we all have our own individual versions of truth, then how can we ever achieve unification or come to a concensus about truth? And why would we even want to, you may ask? The reason I think it is important to first define and then agree upon what is true/truth is because I personally think there may actually be something to the new branch of science of Noetics. I certainly do not ever want to lose our individual traits and abilities or become clones of one another, but a unified belief system or shared values would go a long way to creating a peaceful planet.
So which is it? Is there such a thing as basic truth, unchangeable and irrefutable? Or is truth always in the eye of the beholder, or in a state of constant flux? Is the truth subjective or is it only waiting to be discovered? Or is it general acceptance of a fact that makes it true, as when we all thought the world was flat, ala Aristotle, until first Copernicus then Galileo et al proved otherwise? First things first, I guess. Nosce te ipsum ... Know Thyself. That's what I hope this blog becomes for me ... a journey of self-discovery and shared knowledge, a common ground truth forum that benefits as many as want to join me on my search for truth.
