A
Anonymous
Guest
I’m sure there are plenty of famous (or not so famous) philosophers who have reached this conclusion centuries before I have, but…
The more I read about Fortean topics, the more I seem to be rapidly reaching, as Fort did, the strange, and in some ways disconcerting, conclusion: there’s no such thing as ‘truth’.
Truth appears to be entirely subjective – one man’s truth is another’s falsehood. One man believes in God, which is his truth, and another does not, which is his truth. But proving either as The Truth beyond a shadow of any doubt is impossible. Even in science, which is held up as the prime example of the successful search for truth, there is the uncertainty principle which means we can never nail things down for certain. Science is also something which enables us to make sense of observation, not necessarily provide The Truth. It is, as Fort said, nothing but the proper clothes to wear for a while, until the next theory arrives which provides a better fit. Everyone was probably happy with atoms made of protons and electrons, until the neutron arrived.
So, one of the grand things about Forteana is that truth is a rare thing. We often rely on eyewitnesses, whose truth may be that they witnessed something paranormal, but one can never know for certain. I like to try to solve mysteries, but in the absence of a fundamental truth in anything it’s a futile exercise – best to enjoy the mystery itself.
One can apply this principle to everyday life – there is no absolute ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, it’s all artificial. What is right to one person may be wrong to another. If you think about it, it’s quite liberating. No-one is right, and no-one has a monopoly on the truth, despite what they tell you. If it makes sense to believe that the government is run by pink elephants from Arcturus, then that’s my truth. On the other hand, some may find this as a rug pulled from beneath them – there are suddenly no solid foundations to life, and the consequent loss of a feeling of security will make people seek security in other peoples’ truth even more.
Question everything. Find your own truth, not someone else’s. That is, until a better one comes along…
*Sits back and lights a pipe*
The more I read about Fortean topics, the more I seem to be rapidly reaching, as Fort did, the strange, and in some ways disconcerting, conclusion: there’s no such thing as ‘truth’.
Truth appears to be entirely subjective – one man’s truth is another’s falsehood. One man believes in God, which is his truth, and another does not, which is his truth. But proving either as The Truth beyond a shadow of any doubt is impossible. Even in science, which is held up as the prime example of the successful search for truth, there is the uncertainty principle which means we can never nail things down for certain. Science is also something which enables us to make sense of observation, not necessarily provide The Truth. It is, as Fort said, nothing but the proper clothes to wear for a while, until the next theory arrives which provides a better fit. Everyone was probably happy with atoms made of protons and electrons, until the neutron arrived.
So, one of the grand things about Forteana is that truth is a rare thing. We often rely on eyewitnesses, whose truth may be that they witnessed something paranormal, but one can never know for certain. I like to try to solve mysteries, but in the absence of a fundamental truth in anything it’s a futile exercise – best to enjoy the mystery itself.
One can apply this principle to everyday life – there is no absolute ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, it’s all artificial. What is right to one person may be wrong to another. If you think about it, it’s quite liberating. No-one is right, and no-one has a monopoly on the truth, despite what they tell you. If it makes sense to believe that the government is run by pink elephants from Arcturus, then that’s my truth. On the other hand, some may find this as a rug pulled from beneath them – there are suddenly no solid foundations to life, and the consequent loss of a feeling of security will make people seek security in other peoples’ truth even more.
Question everything. Find your own truth, not someone else’s. That is, until a better one comes along…
*Sits back and lights a pipe*