Is truth absolute or subjective? Some time ago this question was posed to me and, having not considered the matter, I confess to not having had an answer. As I feel that any dispute would rise from a question of definition I feel this is a good place to begin.
Consider truth in a more general sense than the one in which you typically consider it...whether it be law, religion, or something else. See it as reality; the way things actually are.
A good example, and one that is well known, is the fact that several hundred years ago the people of the earth believed the world to be flat. Consider truth in this example. Is the actuality of the matter affected in any way by the perception of society? Go one step further and ask the question whether it be affected by the will of society.
Truth is something that exists in such a way that perception and will have no power over it. In fact, perceived truth is nothing more than a part or a distortion of the whole. What you might call willed truth, if it be in contradiction to the actuality of things, is nothing more than blindness and sometimes a manifestation of the occasional arrogance of humanity.
After considering truth in this light I have concluded that truth is, by its very nature, absolute. Anything less than absolute truth is at most a part and portion of it, and maybe nothing by distortion, misconception, and blindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment