Thursday, November 1, 2007

Truth

Of course none of us have missed the group that call themselves truthers. I won't go into what they believe since I know less than my colleagues about what the truthers are all about. But the other night I was thinking about their self imposed title and decided to discuss something I think I discussed before and that is DOGMA. To me it is a fascinating and probably necessary human thought process that causes people to believe things and when I say believe I don't mean consider that something might be true, I mean IT IS TRUE NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS! This means that no evidence to the contrary could ever dissuade them of their beliefs. To me the far left is funny about this. They disdain Christianity as a silly low intelligence emotional crutch that should be banished from the earth but never see themselves as apostles of their own dogmatic cocoon. Let me sidetrack a little. In my opinion a fact is a fact, our belief about that fact doesn't make a fact less of a fact or more of a truth. I am not saying there aren't gray areas because I think we could talk about that forever and never get to an answer but just because we put something in gray doesn't mean there isn't a truth about that thing it is just we may not have or be able to have enough information to show that truth to be a fact. My point simply put is that facts exist outside of our opinions. For example: the fact I don't believe in a god doesn't mean there isn't one. The fact of god existing would be true no matter what I think or WANT TO THINK! Ah ha the crux of the issue surfaced! What we want to be true is what we believe and we fight over it. James Watson a co discoverer of DNA said recently that blacks in general weren't as smart as lighter skinned races. Is he right? Could be. They either are or they aren't. He of course was attacked but he could be right evidence seems to support it but it is anecdotal so it isn't real evidence but still could be true, but we are supposed to be outraged but what if it is true? Should we run from the truth because we don't like it?

Obviously the left is a bastion of Dogma that tolerates no dissent or debate. From my readings online from both sides it seems apparent that Liberal arguments generally consist of attacks such as "you're just to stupid to understand" "you must be from the south" must be inbred rednecks" or they may intellectually argue this way. "The argument has been decided already so we can't debate it" or "well the source of that information is funded by big business or corporations so since the source is questionable then it cannot be true" It amazes me that so many intelligent people can wrap themselves in a cloak of feel good or self loathing dogma and can't see through the shroud to even search for the truth much less see it. There is no admitting of being wrong when you can never see the possibility that you might be wrong. From hating the president to global warming to affirmative action to abortion etc etc they show time and again that their agenda is based on a need to believe and not facts.

But what about the right? What about abortion? What about evolution? What about homosexuality? I do think that in general the right sits on the moral and intellectual high ground in most areas but then they can easily get into a glazed eyed mouth foaming dogmatic defense of beliefs too. I can write a long essay on the attack of the science of evolution by the religious right.
They attack it because they do not want it to be true, but if one chooses to not want to consider it then that is fine and I don't mind a debate on it since I believe that science will solve that problem in the long run because science is falsifiable, religion isn't and that is simply why creationism doesn't belong in science classes, but if schools want to have religious classes I don't care. I was thinking the other night how our cute little blog of 2 active writers and myself the wayward son, and in spite of what we say out loud, do consider our selves a cut above the average Joe when it comes to intelligence, philosophy, politics and almost any subject that could possibly come up on this blog or in private conversation. BUT are we above dogma? What if? homosexuality is innate? What if there is no god? What if descendants of Europeans aren't as smart as Africans? what if Europeans aren't as athletic as Africans? What if global warming is true? Could we handle the truth?


Just a rambling thought

the Vic

2 comments:

The Archduke of Arrogance said...

Good post. You are correct when you say that the truth exists outside of our opinions. It is also correct that all progress comes from the HONEST search for the truth. The left isn't searching for truth, in fact they often hide it in order to sell their agendas. The left seems to be driven by a lust for the power that right thinking people seem to have. And they are not shy about shitting all over the truth to get it.

P.S. as far as the members of this blog being "a cut above", the scientists ALL agree, we are. The debate is over and nothing anybody says will change my mind. If you challenge me on this then you are nothing more than a shill for big oil.

King Selfish said...

This is another one of those things that makes the concept of humanity whole lot more attractive than humans themselves.