So I recently had a long car ride with a person who had some strong views on absolute truth. I am of the opinion that absolute truth needs an arbitrator or some mechanism for consensus for a truth to be an absolute for a group of people.
They kept saying that the lack of absolute truth is the problem with modern society. That god is the only arbiter of absolute truth, and I couldnt get an answer on how we mortals are able to divine such things.
It was real frustrating when they wouldn’t agree that the as a society, we give the justice system the ability to arbitrate truth.
When I told them that I dont think absolute truths exists he told me that was an absolute truth I believed
I have seen a lot of people who claim that an absolute truth exists and I have seen that thought process color their interactions in society. I think this belief system is a cancer on society and that religions are cultivating it.
I think the idea of an absolute truth being able to be uncovered is quite comforting to these people, and for people who do t consider themselves to be religious these religious ideas persist into their life.
Anyway, just thought I would share.
I always strive to see the nuiance in people, believe as little as possible, change my opinions on matters when appropriate, see absolute truth as a mechanism for arbiters to control.
Thoughts?
This sounds to me like an example of locking into a solution, then mistaking it for the problem. I think societies are broken in which there is deep disagreement about how to decide what’s true. Recognizing some kind of absolute truth is merely one way to agree on how to decide what’s true.
Moreover, I expect that a person claiming that absolute truth exists means something more like there is only one reliable source of truth or way to decide truth. Some choose reason and some choose their preferred god.
It is natural for humans to want simplicity and absolute truth seems simple. Humans have evolved not to waste energy on deciding what’s true. What an advantage it would be to live as though truth were absolute!
Yeah maybe the problem is consensus. Some believe one others a different one.
When I told them that I dont think absolute truths exists he told me that was an absolute truth I believed
Then he wasn’t listening to you. “I don’t think” is not the same as “I am certain.”
The concept of absolute truth is, ironically, the lie that exists at the heart of thiest religion. It provides a comforting certainty to them where they don’t have to do any thinking or work out what their own opinions are on a given subject - they can just claim there is a set of absolute truths and that their particular god is the sole arbiter of that truth.
