RE: Cons and Facades - an aside on truth

From: Chris Lofting (ddiamond@ozemail.com.au)
Date: Thu Jun 15 2000 - 15:15:45 BST

  • Next message: Chris Lofting: "RE: Cons and Facades - more on truth"

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    From: "Chris Lofting" <ddiamond@ozemail.com.au>
    To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
    Subject: RE: Cons and Facades - an aside on truth
    Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 00:15:45 +1000
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    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
    > Of Vincent Campbell
    > Sent: Thursday, 15 June 2000 8:54
    > To: 'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'
    > Subject: RE: Cons and Facades
    >
    >
    > Information and truth are not the same thing. You specifically said the
    > truth, which surely means more than simple information like passwords- it
    > implies value for one thing. A password is not a truth claim,
    > 'the world is
    > flat' is a truth claim.
    >
    > Truth claims surely only have value if they can be communicated and thus
    > tested in some way or other (not necessarily experimentally, but also
    > philosophically, or as a test of faith perhaps).
    >

    the concept/feel of truth is linked to ownership and so you can have
    personal truths that are not communicatable; testing is 'in-house' only.
    Abstract this and you can have cultural truths that are also not
    communicatable or else interpreted from outside as 'wrong' but strongly
    defended within the culture.

    Something deemed 'true' has been accepted into a belief system and becomes
    'owned' by that system, it becomes part of the belief system's territory;
    that is the source of the concept, territorial mapping such that an attack
    on a particular 'truth' is generalised to being an attack on the whole
    belief system as well as on the individuals who hold that belief.

    The other side is the introduction of a 'truth' that is seen as an attack on
    a belief system, better to show the truth or let 'them' discover it rather
    than tell the truth since truth and messenger are interpreted as 'one' and
    messenger gets attacked.

    The show process can lead to denial where 'they' turn their back on it, bury
    it, or intensely try to sure-up their system but it is all 'their' doing.

    best,

    Chris.

    >

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