Quote:
Originally posted by Suki
I completely agree with you that there are Natural Laws that if violated, have serious and deliterious consequences. Everyone is born, develops and dies. That was not my point. What I meant was that Philosophical, Religious or Social Values-related truths, are subjective. Therefore, subjective truths are the creation of human beings living within a social system. Social systems and individuals within all social systems vary tremendously from each other (tastes, preferences, personalities, approaches, actions, reactions). Consequently for all of society's members to have complete agreement on what subjectively interpreted truths are is a hard concept to defend. . .
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Suki,
An underlying premise of my essay that proposes a general theorem of existence is that truth is objective, not subjective. If an idea or conceptualization is consistent with reality, universal law, it is true. If it is inconsistent with reality, it is not true. This is the only standard by which truth may be judged. In other words, "subjective truth" does not exist, as it conveys an idea having no relevance to anything in reality. It follows that there can be no distinction between philosophy and science, because each has as its objective the discovery of truth.
I agree with you that metaphysical notions and other inclinations arising from human passion are entirely subjective, having nothing to do with reality, hence unrelated to truth. Therein lies their danger for humanity. It is conservatively estimated, for example, that in the 300-year period encompasing the 16th through 18th centuries more than a million women and children were slaughtered throughout Europe as witches, a practice fostered and sanctioned by the catholic church, and subsequently by the lutheran church and the church of England. While the practitioners of this gruesome feast undoubtedly laid claim to "truth", by any standard of reality their actions can only be viewed as barbaric. There are north-African cultures that today continue the practice of female circumcision, under insterile conditions and without anesthesia. I would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to argue the "truth" of this particular form of barbarism. The point is a simple one. There are myriad notions, arising from human passions and insecurities, that shape human behavior and have nothing to do with truth. That is precisely the challenge for humantiy chronicled by Carl Sagan in his book "The Demon-Haunted World". His message is not a case for societal regimentation, but for rational thinking which holds great benefit for the human condition.
Regards, Raul