Truth Ache (1.8.25)
I know I know I know "this much" is true.
We are drawn to the concept of truth. But what is truth? How do we define it? And how should we seek it?
We “do science” to discover scientific truths. These help us to understand the world and adapt to our environment. Science has contributed so much to human flourishing that we castigate those who do not “follow the science” as truth deniers. But science is not the same as truth. Science seeks out things that are observable, describable and empirically demonstrable. But the evidence can be conflicting, and conclusions are sometimes changed when a better contextual understanding attains. In this way, science is a truth-seeking process, rather than truth itself.
Science is not the only trail marker to truth. Wisdom is another such guiding light. But like science, wisdom is not synonymous with truth. Sometimes, wisdom reveals truth (“nobody ever died complaining they spent too little time in the office”). But some truths are not wise (“a heroin-addicted preteen can bear a child”). The distinction is essential because where truth and wisdom wrestle, two other trail markers, justice and mercy, meet. Whereas science is quantitative, these concepts are qualitative. Sometimes you know something is right…because you know something is right.
But what if someone disagrees with you? What you think is right, they think is wrong. I don’t think this makes truth (or wisdom, or justice, or mercy) subjective. But it does suggest that we deal more often with perceptions of truth than truth per se. Of late, the unfortunate phrase “my truth” has entered the lexicon. I find it appealing, but I’m going to stop using it, because it unhelpfully conflates “truth” with the “perception of truth”. We are all entitled to our perceptions – they define who we are. And grappling with others’ perceptions is the means by which we work towards a better understanding of the world and ourselves. We should honor each other’s perceptions — but that is not the same as validating them as truths. “My truth” encourages the same misplaced stridency as “follow the science”, by mistaking the journey for the destination.
But the worst infraction is the weaponizing of truth. How? We — myself included — can cherry-pick facts or tilt points of view to get our own way. And few things are more destructive than lowering a person in the eyes of others by using truth distortions such as gossip, rumors, gaslighting, and manipulation. Also, our commitment to truth often wanes if it costs us power, influence, status, money or control. Dishonoring truth in these ways is a source of great misery to others, but ironically, also for the perpetrator.
How we approach truth-seeking can reveal so much. If we were more honest and self-effacing, we would seek truth with humility, modesty and openness, and engage in studying, listening and understanding – rather than wielding “truth” as a cudgel.
J