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Fish swim in water, planets float through space, and people live in culture. Humans cannot avoid culture anymore than a fish can avoid water or a planet can avoid space. We are here and here we are. We are all placed in context, a dynamic and changing context. In fact, not only are we placed in context, we are context for everything else. I am part of your meaning and you are part of mine. Communities, affiliations, networks, media, weather, and systems of all kinds are context for each other and help create meaning for one another. As water helps give meaning to the fish, the fish help give meaning to the water. They are mutually influential.
The search for truth in the midst of this mutually influential cultural milieu of which we are part is not a simple task. Oh, how we want it to be a simple task. How we need for it to simple. Oh how we seek to force its simplicity. And yet, with all of our efforts, truth seems to be a difficult thing upon which agreement can be made.
Various philosophies approach truth in different ways. Right now our culture is in the midst of a massive philosophical overhaul. Our culture is moving from modern to postmodern quickly. The enormity of the implications for the treatment of truth cannot overstated. Let’s take a look at these ways of viewing truth and try to find a way to navigate them.
TRUTH
Notice every letter is capitalized above in the word, truth. I am going to call this modern truth. The modern approach to truth is good in that it holds out hope that the truth of everything is knowable. Lack of knowledge is merely a result of lack of ability or willingness to find it. It is out there for those with the power and stamina and perhaps luck to find it. The modern view of truth waits eagerly for a time when we will know everything about everything. The mysteries of the world will all be solved, bringing and end to all worries and concern. Unpredictability will be a thing of the past because we have advanced so far as to know the truth about everything.
Furthermore, and please allow me to be a little bit ridiculous, we will finally solve the mystery of which is the best flavor of ice cream (and I believe we will arrive at Toasted Almond Fudge, if we are honest in our investigation). We will completely map the universe, unravel all paradoxes of quantum physics, predict every person’s behavior, and, this is most important, God himself will be fully understood.
As you can see, the assumptions about truth from the modern philosophical perspective have their advantages, but drawn out to some ultimate conclusions, are absurd. There are differences that will never be reconciled, mysteries that will never be solved, territories that will never be mapped. Modernity does not readily accept the limits of humanity.
What is worse is that modernity run amuck is cruel. Suppose through empirical science, it is proven that Vanilla is the superior ice cream? Suppose I maintain that Toasted Almond Fudge is superior? Or even less offensive, let’s just say I think Toasted Almond Fudge is yummy. Modernity run amuck would establish rules for a New Vanilla Order, use rewards for liking Vanilla and penalties for any aberration to the rule. Sound crazy? Well, I’ve got one word for you: Hitler. Modernity run amuck is dangerous.
trooth
Notice none of the letters, not even the first one, are capitalized. Also notice the spelling –different. I am going to call this postmodern truth. This approach to truth maintains that truth is personal, not general. My truth and your truth are not the same truth, even if we are talking about the same thing. In the postmodern world, truth hinges upon interpretation, not empirical data. The mysteries of the universe are forever mysteries, with meaning to be made from them.
Thus, no postmodern is going to be arrogant enough to declare one single interpretation could suffice to cover all of the variables, to fit every perspective, to account for every possibility. The advantage of a postmodern understanding of truth is that agreement is not necessary for relationship. There is less contention, fighting, and arguing in the postmodern world. Being right is irrelevant. Being genuine is what matters.
However, to assume that there is only interpretation and nothing really exists as truth is a logical impossibility. The absurdity of absolute relativism is self-evident. There always has to be at least one thing, even if nothing is the one thing.
There is danger in radical relativism. If there is nothing true, then life is meaningless and therefore hopeless. If we are the only power in the universe, then we are slaves to our own inadequacies. Postmodern tyranny is just as dangerous as modern tyranny.
Truth
So, we have these seeming polar opposites on the philosophical spectrum. Actually, there are many more plots on this chart, but we will limit our discussion to these.
The temptation in this kind of discussion is to feel compelled to choose the right philosophy. That would be a mistake. There is no right philosophy. As all people are fallen, all cultures are fallen. As philosophy is a cultural product, all philosophies are also fallen. There is no right philosophy. This is so important to understand as America moves into the postmodern era.
We get lost in the philosophical fog when we get too interested or not interested enough in it for our own good. When we are too interested in philosophy, we seek to in-group and out-group, over-privilege and under-privilege according to our own views. In this vein, there are not only fundamentalist moderns, but fundamentalist postmoderns as well. At the same time, we get lost in the philosophical fog if we fail to acknowledge that we even have a philosophy. It is like fish denying the very water they swim in. It’s there, like it or not. So, since it is there, awareness of what it is is important. Knowing what influences you is important. It is the invisible philosophy that has the most influential voice. That being said, too little interest in philosophy puts you at great risk of being abused by it.
So what is truth? Well, you and Pontius Pilate have a terrific question on your hands. Jesus said, “I am the truth.” Do you find it strange that Pilate looked truth in the eye and asked, “What is truth?” Should it not have been obvious? However, it was not. Pilate the fish swam in Roman waters which were muddied with Roman philosophical trash. At the same time, the Pharisees looked at Jesus (the truth) and said, “you’re not truth.” Shouldn’t it have been obvious to them? It was not.
Is the current state of America any different? Modern certainty about everything and postmodern skepticism about everything are the filthy waters in which we swim, making it very difficult to know truth, to know Jesus. While moderns are more likely to put words in Jesus’ mouth, insert their own meaning to his words, or just flat deny him and call it empirical truth (when it is really their interpretation), postmoderns are more likely to wonder if Jesus really said anything, wonder if it (or anything) is authoritative, and ponder the possible applications for contemporary society.
While we can’t know as much truth as moderns proclaim and can know more truth than postmoderns say even exists, what we can do is to seek the truth honestly. We can become aware of our assumptions and be willing to suspend them for the sake of inquiry while not abandoning them completely. We can hope that Jesus will be revealed for who he is and not who he is said to be. The truth is that there is truth and we are free to seek it honestly.
Chris Gonzalez is a marriage and family therapist and freelance writer living in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He is married, with two children and has a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and a bachelors degree in English Education and relentless thirst to learn more. Also, look for his previous articles in our archives.
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