I have been meaning to blog about one of the topics brought up in our reading the other day. Under the title "What Literature is For" two conclusions are drawn: affective elements are of the utmost importance in all literary writing and the second conclusion is when we say that a given piece of writing is true we do not mean "scientifically true."
The reading then goes on to discuss the meaning of the word "true." I thought about this and think that there can never be a standard truth because everyone comes from a different perspective and therefore would accept and dismiss different symbols. If we cannot agree on a standard set of symbols then there is no way to even make a statement.
Since symbols come from outside of us, we have no direct connection with language. This point is argued in the movie dark star when a bomb needs to be reasoned with to stop from detonating. Here is the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29pPZQ77cmI&feature=related
-Kelsey W.
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I agree that there is no absolute truth that everyone accepts, but we have standard truths that most people agree upon. For example, it is widely accepted that if you drop a pencil that it is going to hit the ground. Is that a standard truth?
-ashley Hill
Continuing that thought, maybe standard truth is when you achieve the same outcome under the same set of circumstance. Relating back to the pencil example, no matter how many times you drop a pencil it will hit the ground. We know that fact to be truth, because we can all prove that. We can all drop a pencil and see the outcome, thus a standard truth is something that can be proven through experimentation.
-ashley hill
Well, it wouldn't really be absolute since we are just inferring that the pencil will hit the ground based on our experience with what we define as gravity. We are going to continue to assume that the pencil will hit the ground, until that one time that it doesn't. Science is only based on our experiences, observations, and our attempts to establish patterns of cause and effect. So therefore "truth" would not be the best way to describe this subjective belief.
Your pencil analogy reminds me of a chapter from the Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series). In chapter 29 you are introduced to the ruler of the universe, who is a hermit who lives in an isolated cabin with his cat and takes no experience for granted. One of his favorite pastimes is to test bringing a pencil and paper together in various orientations. He becomes very excited each and every time that the sharp end of the pencil makes a mark on the paper.
Another example of not taking experience for granted- When the ruler of the universe was asked about everything going on "out there" in the universe beyond his door, he replied "How can you tell there's anything out there?... the door is closed."
-Kelsey W.
I think there are absolute truths, and the people who don't believe them are naive. For instance, we are all humans and we all feel. No one can dispute that. You may have different life philosophies, different beliefs about subjective material, but for the things that have unquestionable proof, there should be no opposing truths. Of course one could argue we have no proof there is a reality and we're all just some crazy mindgame of a mutant spacebug in a parallel universe. But once it gets to that then people have a tendency to not feel like thinking ever again.
-colin
It could be argued that the only "Truth" that matters is the truth you believe. It may not be the absolute truth, and no one else may believe it. But if you are happy to believe as such, then that's all that matters (as long as it doesn't get in the way of what others believe). We can never know for sure what absolute Truth is, though people may think they have found it, and even if some of it is true, it may not be completely true. The world is flat! Not quite. The world is a sphere! Closer, but no. If you drop a pencil it will hit the ground? Unless someone tries to catch it.
The point is that there are infinite possibilities for the Truth and we are never going to know what is really True. Guessing is fun though. Whatever Truth makes you happy.
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