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Tag: Truth

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    ad-hoc causation

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    1–2 minutes

    What we assume to be causal (a need to see things as linear relations) sets up an outcome, which is never the case.

    Considering "cause and effect," we string together attributions that establish a causal chain, then read it backward to point out what went wrong. We are not truly tracking the variables, simply doing some ad-hoc addition and subtraction from convenient choices.

    Unfortunately, we never have all the facts, so we overdetermine our role in the outcome, often egotistically or narcissistically, but just as often in science without full comprehension, thus deforming our determinations.

    in part from David Hume
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    sceince as authority, not truth

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    1–2 minutes

    Today, we can see science sociologically: rather than its function of falsification to increase comprehension and extend knowledge, its "casue and effect" mode of inquiry has been reversed upon it.

    The left insists you must "believe in science" with religious fervor lest you blaspheme, while the populist right over-indexes its fallibility in the face of corrupt practices and incentives. The most ironic for both sides is decrying science’s groupthink tendency.

    Today, science is politically used as "authority," not a process. Much as having a prophet as a mouthpiece, science is used to legitimize transfer away from the democratic into the technocratic: that is, sovereignty is moved away from individual debate into managerial expertise and handling. To invoke almighty science is to proclaim "truth" but from an inaccessible language backed by powerful corporate and academic institutions. Increasingly, this authority extends into everyday life, the better to manage us: Believe or be purged. Submit or be declared an "anti-science" idiot.

    idea from Matthew B. Crawford

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    Universal truth depends on Myopia

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    1–2 minutes

    Universal truth (a 100% applicable or capital “T” truth) can only come from a partial, subjective position, a myopic stance.

    An all-encompassing answer can only come from (and be applied to) a limited, singular perspective. Once new perspectives are added, exceptions undermine truth’s universality.

    To comprehend universal truth, one must recognize that it cannot be fully grasped unless one can simultaneously embody all conceivable perspectives.

    “True universality and partiality do not exclude each other, but universal Truth is accessible only from a partial engaged subjective position” Slavoj Zizek

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    Knowledge vs. truth as failure

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    1–2 minutes

    – often, when we search for knowledge, we are searching for the truth, and when we search for the truth, some people are searching for certainty, the Karl Popper warns us seeking truth is a process of failures disproving our assumptions.

    In our quest for knowledge, we often seek truth, yet this search can morph into a pursuit of certainty for some.

    Karl Popper cautions against viewing "truth" as a straightforward path. He emphasizes that truth is inherently a process of iterative failures, where success lies in disproving our assumptions rather than confirming them.

    This perspective challenges the conventional notion of knowledge acquisition, urging us to embrace complexity and uncertainty as a process toward truth.

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    Authenticity: Individual Truths and Collective Validation

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    1–2 minutes

    Proliferating individualism fragments society into a kaleidoscope of perspectives, each seeking recognition and power—high seats at the communal table.

    This quest for validation raises a poignant question: Why isn’t the mere existence of one’s truth sufficient? The drive to propagate personal truths reflects a deeper yearning for validation through communal resonance, a gathering of kindred spirits (or coercive group persuasion.) The problem forms from inversion, where communal truth feeds validation without personal truth.

    The fundamental human desire is not just "to be" but "to be affirmed" and influential within a collective: individual authenticity need not be bound to communal legitimacy, but the absence of genuine self-expression often leads to seeking validation through societal echo.

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    Moderate Justification

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    1–2 minutes

    We tend to moderate justification, never going all out in either direction.

    The calculus was done for us long ago: constraint and middling allow continued participation in a pluralistic, democratic group, which has more benefit than voicing (or enacting) aggressive justifications.

    Yet, many people feign moderation and plurality is rampant with extremism, which infers that moderation is a disguise of the coward, the bully, the idiot, and the intelligent. The only true believer is the boring.

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    Lies for survival and suffering

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    1–2 minutes

    A Taoist proverb says no one can tell a lie. This is because the lie reveals a different kind of truth, such as a desire not to be punished or face up the certain consequences.Buddhism suggests if we understood the consequences of lies, we would act morally all the time.

    All true, but a justification for survival persists: once everyone in the world is lying and vindictive, does the truth set you free? or make of you an easy scapegoat?

    Without an adequate network, survival is in question in an untrustworthy culture, and our personal life incurs tremendous suffering.

    This is answered by another Buddhist teaching: you must vanquish desire because it leads to suffering. We find that the desire to be moral (honest) causes suffering until you can completely shed your desire for survival.

    Back to lies: if a liar reveals a more profound truth through the lie, there can be no “lies” as they only tell a deeper truth. We have added a complex moral dubiety: we “lie/truth” for survival to alleviate our suffering, which causes more suffering, which can only be relieved by releasing the desire to live.

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    Marginal error

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    1–2 minutes

    In optimizing health and efficiency, “marginal gains” assert that a 1% daily benefit triples your effectiveness by the end of the year.

    The opposite is equally true, where “marginal error” slowly migrates off course.

    Consider a building, and as each story is built, it is only 1% off in each measurement, but without correction over time, the building will topple sideways. This is also the tipping point, not of success but destruction.

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    Truth includes doubt

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    1–2 minutes

    How you make a good decision must come from a process that acknowledges the realities of the world.

    Since the world is not perfectly predictable, our models of reality (our truth and beliefs) must incorporate a version of unsureness (unknowing, confusion).

    The more absolute a belief, the further from the truth it will guide you.

    However, the inverse is not viable either: pure doubt does not lead to truth. It is the belief in truth (or fact) that allows us to judge and dismiss falsity, to understand the discord of a contradiction.

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    fearless humans

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    1–2 minutes

    A fearless person is a true human, because they are truly free.

    Without fear, there are no constraints: a true human is a monster.