It is human nature, I suppose, for folks to believe that they are in possession of “The Truth” about most things. All our actions are based on some set of assumptions. If it were not so, we would be confined to a small place contemplating just what to do next.
There is a large body of information called “Common Knowledge” upon which our daily lives depend. We are aware of a cause-and-effect relationship, for example, between a very hot object and the relative tenderness of human skin. We understand the implications of a red traffic light.
We realize that our existence depends upon food, shelter and clothing to a large degree, and we take certain known measures to assure their acquisition. Hundreds, if not thousands of everyday decisions are made based upon our perception of “Truth.”
Some of this is personally time-tested and verified. Some is apocryphal, meaning we accept what has been passed on to us by others. Nevertheless, we all, or at least most of us, operate on the basis of assuming we have all “The Truth” we need, and what truth we have is concrete and not to be challenged.
It’s perfectly understandable. If it were not so, there would be vast confusion, hesitation and stagnation in society.
Inherent in this state of confidence, however, is a deep fault which lies at the root of most of mankind’s troubles: Sometimes we are wrong.
Operating on an incorrect set of assumptions opens the door to calamity, or, at the least, disappointment and misunderstanding. The path to positive achievement is strewn with the wreckage of incorrect assumptions.
Frequently this only brings embarrassment or frustration Sometimes, though, this can mutate into such cancerous conditions as bigotry, blind injustice, megalomania and worse.
The most severe of these conditions is impossible to dislodge. A rigid belief that one possesses the absolute “Truth” and a combative stance protecting that belief makes it difficult, if not impossible to engage on any kind of equal footing. The possessor of “Truth” will always assume superiority over others.
Challenging that “Truth” most often results in a lack of rational discussion. At every turn the position is hardened, whether it appears logical or not, and the challenger is seen as a threat.
If this condition negatively affects a person’s ability to make rational choices and conduct a productive life, it is sometimes known in the medical field as schizophrenia, or one of many other terms describing illness. That’s the extreme. Most often, in our daily lives, it is observed as rigid conceit.
That being said, there is another dimension available to us which allows us to test certain assumptions, or to be open to additional knowledge which has the potential, at least, for modifying our “Truth.” If this was not so, we would all still be operating under the assumption that the world is flat and there are no such things as germs.
There was a period of time called The Dark Ages when most of mankind was denied the right to challenge “The Truth,” and millions of people suffered terribly as a result. No scientists allowed. No “heretics” allowed. “The Truth” was dictated and controlled by a small but enormously powerful group. To challenge this power was to court severe punishment, often death. Actually, there have been many other periods which could also qualify as Dark Ages - the Salem witch trials, Hitler’s Germany, “McCarthyism,” etc.
The common denominator is a willingness of a large portion of mankind - either through dullness or the fear of retribution - to accept as “Truth” all things endorsed by “Authority.” If not for some courageous individuals who felt compelled to challenge, examine and verify various propositions, mankind might live in a perpetual state of Dark Ages.
It is not just scientists who examine certain theories, situations or objects to understand how they work and how they affect other theories, situations or objects. Individuals such as Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther, Thomas Edison, even Bill Gates among myriad others are examples of people who felt compelled to delve deeper into accepted truth.
Inevitably they each had to struggle against the status quo of accepted truth. Slowly, however an environment has evolved which allows for inquiry and experimentation, to a degree, and, for the most part, mankind has greatly benefited from this.
In the scientific realm, at least, accepted “Truth” is open to question until verified to the extent possible. Science is, however, one of the few fields which is given wide sanction to suspend accepted knowledge in an effort to discover absolute truth. Even then, new ideas or propositions are often confronted as heresy. “Truth” is often wily and not easily captured.
Recently, I have been studying the life of a remarkable man named Stuart Chase, and I would like to write more about him later. I leave you with one of his famous quotes:
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.”
Stuart Chase
Part Two later
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