Talking and presenting in class was helpful to clear out what truth is. Not that truth is any clearer, but it is easier to say what isn't truth. The objects and concepts that the class had were placed relatively where I would put them, give or take a few inches. I think the ones I most disagree with are the scientific concepts that are counted as objective truths. The one problem I see with this is that theories are based upon no other forces interacting- but in the real world, there are always these other factors. So technically, we can't actually test a concept, since there will always be other factors to affect the result. So how can we really know? However, I do consider science to be objective (I'm just not sure it can be proven to be so). Sure, it will change, but science as a whole works. This considering that objective truth is our world and the things we see and touch, it not being a hallucination and brain-washing and living in a false world. For that would just get chaotic and confusing, and probably make us all go insane.
The truth that we told in class was more of a truth to ourselves, if not to others. For some reason, you believe in something, even if there is no proof: your own personal truth. In the articles that we read (and changed) before, there is a manipulation of truth. Not that what they say might not be true, but they try very hard to make it your truth too, not by stating facts, but by giving you emotions. We never seem to be able to think straight when we are angry, loving, or sad. Each article uses vague words, for example "weapons of mass destruction", which give images and terror to our minds, more so than just "bombs" or any one specific thing. Some also create metaphors and imagery in our mind, making us feel righteous, or using words that show how the victims are feeling. Writing is more than just stating facts: it's about allowing the reader to feel what you are feeling. And in some cases, manipulate the reader into feeling what you want them to feel.
In 1984, by George Orwell, this sort of happens. In the Ministry of Love, the "torturers" turn your world upside down until what you imagine and believe is true: 2 + 2 = 5. O'Brien doesn't allow Winston to think, to rationalize, and so Winston can't defend his world and truth. So, Winston's truth is torn away from him and replaced with not truth at all. Newspeak also helps with this destruction of truth. Language itself is subjective, with several meanings to one word and different words for the same meaning. Orwell considers language to be vague and broad, and in Newspeak, it becomes even more so. As words are taken away from the dictionary again and again, words and meanings become vaguer and vaguer until all truth is lost. How can one prove something if what you are saying does not even mean anything? This also helps take away control and power from someone over themselves, and disables a person from defending what they feel is right. I guess, seeing that the Outer Party members are left with nothing to hang on to sanity, they are forced to love Big Brother. Not because they actually love him in the full sense of the word, but because they need a constant to keep their world straight. If not, then they would be insane. Up would be down and left would be right. So destroying someone's reality gives control and power to another.
This is the whole reason we have science: to understand the world and put it in terms we can understand. Our curiosity to understand the world is what has created science. We must have facts and knowledge to keep our sanity, and feel like we have an understanding of ourselves and what we perceive as our world and life.
So perhaps whether truth exists or not should not be answered. Even if we never did get an answer, just the debate would make us crazy. If we did eventually find an answer, it could destroy all our perceptions.
Hi,Adrienne.Thank you for the comments posted on your deeply thought provoking and insightful blog. I guess we can debate on this subject and write reams on this topic, but I hope we really do not go insane or crazy as you suggest. To be honest insanity is only caused by fear and misunderstanding and doubt which seeps into ones brain like a cancerous disease and eats into our sense of calm and well being. As long as we beleive our "truths" then we can attain peace. After all children beleive in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy and for all their innocence and hope they are happy. As we get older we start questioning and these questions bring insecurity and unhappiness.Truth is real if we beleive things based on faith of the authority giving it to us.After all religion and beleif in God is based on nothing but hearsay and stories and yet we are willing to die in the name of God.As far as Science is concerned I do beleive it is mostly objective unlike God. After all no theory can become a law until there is substantial objective proof to back these theories. Without these proofs then theories are simply theories.We beleived that the world is flat since it certainly appears flat from ground level, until we discovered from space that the earth is actualy round. We beleive what we see but also what we hear if it comes from authority.That is why Shin and D503 and Winston all beleive and obey their authoritative regimes subjectively. Human minds are extremely complex and hold much in a complicated maze which can be manipulated and controlled or brainwashed until we no longer recognize the truth or lies, and in turn as you have stated we can lose our minds. This was shown clearly in the tortures and brainwashing of Shin, D503 and Winston.
ReplyDeleteSabrina.
Like you, I disagree with some of the scientific concepts declared as objective. Throughout history, these concepts has been disproven and altered. After all of these, I can't believe that people believe that science is objective. In our science classes, we mostly learn about theories discovered by western scientists, Newton, Bohr, Mendelevv.Many concepts are named after themselves. We rarely learn about the discoveries of ancient Chinese or astronomy of South American Indians. We must be aware that even science, a subject that is supposed to be objective and make sense to everyone, is subjective and is dominated by the West. If we were to tell very few tribes who are "untouched" by the modern world, our finding may seem like a great fallacy to them becuase they have their own scientific theory they lived by. We will never know whether their theory or our theory is right.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say, "perhaps whether truth exists or not should not be answered," I felt the limitations of us, humans. Even the debate makes us crazy, like you said. And when we finally receive the answer, it has a capability to destroy us, ruining all of the progress that we made.