Is it The Case that The Truth Always Comes Out?
In my circles, often I hear very religious Jews refer to the torah as 'the truth.' It is also the case that Christians and Muslims make the same conclusions about the New testament and the Koran. But what is the truth? From a legal definition, a document is concluded to be authentic if it represents what it purports to be.
Lately, there have been many stories in the news and in blogsville about what is true and what is not. Take James Frey's A Million Little Pieces which we now come to know was embellished somewhat to garnish attention. Our President said he went into Iraq because there were weapons of mass destruction. Oil companies have made record billions of dollars this year, particularly Exon, some questioning their motives and calling such outrageous profits price gouging. Even in blogsville, we see that some people say one thing about their characters, and ultimately, after some investigation, or disclosure, they are not who they say they are. Men impersonating women and vice-versa, or other defects and imperfections surface.
Here is the question of the day: Is it the case that the truth always comes out? What is the truth?
This has been an extremely busy week for me at work. I promise to read blogs and will attempt to post more over the weekend.
Thank you for your minds.
Lately, there have been many stories in the news and in blogsville about what is true and what is not. Take James Frey's A Million Little Pieces which we now come to know was embellished somewhat to garnish attention. Our President said he went into Iraq because there were weapons of mass destruction. Oil companies have made record billions of dollars this year, particularly Exon, some questioning their motives and calling such outrageous profits price gouging. Even in blogsville, we see that some people say one thing about their characters, and ultimately, after some investigation, or disclosure, they are not who they say they are. Men impersonating women and vice-versa, or other defects and imperfections surface.
Here is the question of the day: Is it the case that the truth always comes out? What is the truth?
This has been an extremely busy week for me at work. I promise to read blogs and will attempt to post more over the weekend.
Thank you for your minds.
12 Comments:
truth is so relative... everyone has their own version of it...
and it doesn't always come out... kennedy, hoffa, moon landing, roswell... these things never came out... someone over that many years would have talked, don't ya think?
the truth doesnt always come out thats for sure
Y.Y. and I agree on this one. The truth doesn't always come out. I'd go further and say it's unknowable by any individual source. The reason is that the events as they've been relayed -- whatever the story -- inevitably leave out details that would have supplied a richer picture of the "truth" (or even a contradictory one) than the original story reveals.
I think human beings in social collectives are far more interested in "the story" than "the truth." Stories that justify our desires and sacrifices and (ahem) prejudices are readily embraced as truth, and efforts to uncover more detail are often scorned. Did you ever read The Life of Pi? It's a sweet little book that essentially says, "Who cares what truth is? If we can never fully know it, isn't it the STORY that really matters?"
Of course, being a woman and therefore falling into the group that most frequently gets the shaft in Storyland -- either through complete omission (as is the case in most scripture) or miscasting as villain (Eve) or object (Helen of Troy) -- I tend to take harbor an irrational appreciation for "truth," however unknowable it may be. :-)
Hi barbara, am slow getting around. stupid computer!!
I don't know, truthfully. :)
It seems that there should be some cosmic law about truth, even if it is relative. As a humanist, I see it as a human thing not a God thing.
It has to do with the evolving of higher consciousness.
Take one truth; the human condition. Will there come a time that we humans understand our own selves to the point of getting rid of our destuctive prejudices?
I'd like to believe so.
Sometimes there is a lot of distance between the act & the truth of it.
Maybe death is the ultimate truth.
Philosophers try to base their findings on a foundation of truth.
So far, 'I think therefore I am.' is considered that base truth.
It's a very complex question, don't you think?
I don't buy that truth is relative. People would like it to be relative, however.
Of course there are some things that cannot be proven true or false (unfalsifiable hypotheses) but there's plenty that can be proven. But there's also plenty that can be obscured.
Perhaps a better word for truth is 'fact'. If something is factual, it is truthful. If something is perceived as truthful, it is in perception only. Even though I'm a Christian, cannot definitively claim that the Bible is the Truth. There's a lot in there that makes sense, but there's some stuff that doesn't, either. So it's perceived (or believed) but hardly verifiable.
I have to go with Y'shua, who said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life"
and then demostrated that by his actions, his miracles, his resurrection. Jesus is truth.
My two cents: I believe that truth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
yes, facts are alot different than the truth... everyone has their own version of the truth... facts are sometimes alot colder and harder for the general populace to deal with...
Great comments. Distinctions made between stories vs. truth, and as Bohica says the facts v. the truth, or relative v. perceived truth....All interesting lines of thinking.
But is it not the case that ultimately, everything can be seen as a matter of perception whether true, factual, authentic or made up?
Something to think about for the weekend.
Tough question, I think the truth is important and I believe the Torah to be the truth.
But you know the saying” truth is sometimes stranger than fiction”, some truths are better left unsaid.
Sometimes the truth can hurt countless people without bringing any benefit to anyone, like this story I read about a woman knowing her daughter's fate was actually a guy she had an affair with years earlier, but no one was the wiser, she kept this secret throughout her life and thereby protected her husband and family.
In this case the truth never came out but it was a good thing!
Unfortunately, no..
For every james frey caught lying there are others who are not...
T
The truth obviously doesn't look the same way when something is "based on truth" versus "being true". You always have to question why someone is telling you the story.
There might be some great insights from this book, which is one reason why I'm not entirely sure why people are so upset. However, of course you read something differently when you believe it has happened after you find out that it may only be possible aka imaginable, because, afterall, it's never been happened at all quite the way you believed.
Within the fictional account contained in the pages of "A Million Little Pieces" there are details which deviate from the true circumstances though the ideas didn't come purely from the authors mind -they are embellishments. This has apparently come out to the chagrin of millions of people like Oprah.
I haven't read it myself, but I find it amusing that it may gain even more publicity than ever now that it has been exposed as a lie. Ironically, getting the book published was the original incentive for framing it as a true story.
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