Atlantis
‘…Should storms, as may well happen,
Drive you to anchor a week
In some old harbour-city
Of Ionia, then speak
With her witty scholars, men
Who have proved there cannot be
Such a place as Atlantis:
Learn their logic, but notice
How its subtlety betrays
Their enormous simple grief;
Thus they shall teach you the ways
To doubt that you may believe.‘
—
There are things for which we need no proof. What we believe is, quite simply, true for us.
Thanks for the comment! I know exactly what you mean. Some things appear to us as entirely true, are in no real need of justification, and keep re-emerging throughout our lives.
On the other hand, my logical brain kicks in:
If my true idea turns out not to be true, and, for example, it’s harming someone I love, can I live with that? (most people who live according to a false truth or a lie never want to face the consequence of the false truth or lie, should they be confronted with it. This is why it’s so heartening to see someone or our selves admit fault. It’s why prisons are full of innocent people 🙂
Also, what if I scale my true idea into a group consensus? What kind of people does the true idea produce and what kind of group dynamics/consequences does the group possess? (Imagine a group of people who like art…pretty harmless). But imagine a group of people who like art, but the group congregates and forms an aesthetic majority around an idea that’s about 60% true which affects the mainstream profoundly, but eventually becomes a passing fad. Let’s say this group is full of normal people (one ambitious person, one scold, one crusader, one cynic etc. all of different talent/skill levels at different times). Let’s say at the beginning of their arc, one lady disagreed. She would come to earn their scorn and resentment because of her talent and independence, but mostly because she challenged their motivating belief and their chances of success, self-worth and ambition. She became a liability despite being just as true/more true in a very subjective field. They went in one direction and she went in another and they exiled her…because she disagreed with the group consensus. I mean…what about the truth?
Whether through my senses gathering and forming a true picture of reality (closer to empiricism), or through mathematical proofs just being true in their own contained worlds (whether or not they have application in the outer world), some ideas are more true than others.
I’ll shut up now. Thanks for stopping by!