There is a universal conviction that knowing what is true helps to secure balance in the affairs of society and, generally, a peace of mind for the knower. It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness; the truth shall make you free. In the short run, these beliefs may often be correct. Historically, however, personal and collective beliefs in possessing the truth, whether those of facts presumed, ideas held, or feelings voiced, have had the opposite effect. Seeing the light of truth imparts restlessness on the knower because all truths are incomplete and incompletable and hence carry the threat of impermanence. Knowledge generates a desire to share, to convince, and even to force, as well as to sacrifice one's own life or the lives of others to the cause of spreading the truth. We inherited this trait from our prehuman ancestors, who could survive only through socializing all or most of their knowledge.
critical rationalism Saturday, February 22, 2014 @ 4:36pm
Knowing what is believed to be true has been a perennial source of un-resolvable conflicts. Attempts to resolve them lead to new conflicts and to cultural change paid for by social upheavals and bloody wars.
