I think that absolute truths are products of a belief in a higher power. Even those who say that they are atheistic live in a culture that has been shaped constantly by religious notions, and thereby the atheists conform to certain beliefs derivative of various religions. An interesting case study to test this theory out would be an isolated population unaware of religion and left to its own devices. What type of morality would develop and how would it compare to our own sense of moral good?
In this life I believe nothing is absolute. Especially when it comes to human nature. Human nature is like Ohio weather it is always changing and unpredictable. You maybe able to anticipate someone's actions or behavior but that doesn't mean it will come out to what you've anticipated every time. There are no absolute truths with empirical evidence that supports it 100%.
I believe that there are absolute truths and we are aware of them in a number of ways whether it be through our spiritual sense or our common sense. If you are an individual who believes in God you must come to the realization that God is an absolute truth, He is eternal and unchanging. On the other hand, in the physical world life and people seem to be in a constant state of change and nothing seems certain. However, it is also evident that in this world some things are constant and therefore there must be some absolute truths in this world. The saying goes that the only things you can be sure of in this life are death and taxes. Obviously there are ways of evading paying taxes but the physical demise of our material bodies is unavoidable for each and every one of us; in short, death is an absolute truth.
I think before we discuss absolute truths we first need to define "truth". I think truth is something that is proven to be or is accepted as true. I came across this quote and I found it very interesting. "There is such a Creator, and He has revealed His truth to us through His Word, the Bible. Knowing absolute truth/universal truth is only possible through a personal relationship with the One who claims to be the Truth—Jesus Christ." With this being said, I believe that absolute truth exists and that it leads us to God, the creator of Heaven and earth. And this is ultimately the absolute truth!
I do not think there are absolute truths and will try my best to explain why. When I began to think about this question I immediately thought "no" for reasons I'll explain later on. Then I got to thinking about what it means to be "dead" and thought well wouldn't it be an absolute truth that you are "dead" when your heart stops pumping? Since we've already discussed this issue previously it is safe to say there is some grey area (as usual) with such topics. With that being said the reason I do not believe there are absolute truths is because EVERYTHING in this world has meaning because we as a society assigned it that meaning. If you ever hear me jokingly state "what does this even REALLY mean?" or "How do we KNOW?" in the back of the classroom, it is because of this idea that everything we know in life is based on how we define it. This doesn't mean that it truly is what it is. Everything was assigned to give society structure (the alphabet, numbers, religion, etc.) so in the essence of what laws or truths are composed of, are these ideas that WE as people put together. I mean as far as religion goes we don't actually KNOW we just believe; plus what truly is religion anyways? See where I'm going with this? So basically I believe there cannot be absolute truths because any truth is based off what us (imperfect) humans define something to be. Also, what does it really mean to be "imperfect"? :)
I couldn't agree more. When I read this question the first thing I though was that death is the only thing that is absolute. After thinking about it for a minute I realized that death is not even absolute anymore. It's kind of like Plato's view that there is nothing perfect in this world. If there is nothing perfect, nothing can be absolute.
I love both of these guys responses and the one below. I couldn't put it better myself. Truth only holds meaning to the person who holds it to be true. We humans are all imperfect, and even religion cannot be relied on because once again imperfect humans play a role in what religion is. As long as humans are involved with "truth" it is never going to be absolute! Although I guess I could go back to what I just said and say that I am a human and thus I don't know if I am imperfect. How do I know that this is the truth. Maybe humans aren't imperfect and maybe they do know the absolute truth. Because there is no definite answer, and one can only base the truth off of what they believe which may not be the truth, is there even such a thing as truth??? I think this is the most loaded question ever!!!
"I believe in everything - a little bit" Marilyn Monroe
A famous quote that i feel is true. Ha. " I feel is true." So what, does that mean this is absolute truth? No. Fact is backed up with reason and supports and experiments and test. Truth on the other hand is what an individual feels is right in their mind to satisfy their need of that subject. I like the weather judgement that Blair uses in the sense that we are unpredictable and are continuously changing.
So Truth be told that the Truth is only True to the person/s who believe that Truth True!
I agree with Brandon Blair on this topic. Nothing in our lives nothing in absolutely true, even from the religious point of view, its all based on faith there is not proof or empirical evidence. Human nature is completely predictable, but that doesn't make it absolute and true. It’s just like weather, as Brandon said, and the same goes for human actions. Nothing is this world is guaranteed other than death.
I believe in truths, but I don't think we've discovered any of them yet. I kinda view truths the way that Plato views proofs. We have an idea of a truth, and based on that truth we form various ideas of what is truth. But we don't kow what that real "truth" is because we can't view it fully; we just have an impression. I can try to explain this with religion. Most individuals hold an idea of some god or greater power, or even multiple gods. Who's to say that each god is not part of a larger truth which is "GOD"? That each belief system that accompanies is a puzzle piece to a larger picture that is "TRUTH"?
When it comes to life, i dont think anything is absolute. someone can be 99.9% sure about alot of things, but that doesnt guarantee anything. Thats what tough about life and thats why i think hope is important going back to the other post. Also, faith is a big part of life. Do we know whats to happen to us in life? Do we know what the future holds? of course not. Thats why i think hope and faith are crucial to finding meaning in life. otherwise you could get stuck aimlessly wondering through life struggling to find a purpose.
There are most definitely absolute truths. Some of these absolute truths may not be tangeable but society is still governed by them. An example would be that we all know that stealing is bad, that's why people feel guilty. In this sense, there are absolute truths. The more complicated issues do not have absolute truths, in my opinion. Each of the big issues we discussed in class are so subjective that it's very hard (near impossible) to put an absolute truth to the concept.
I believe there are absolute truths in this world. I see the golden rule being the ultimate one. I think that all of the major religions somehow are connected to this. The absolute truth is only truly known to a higher power that will hopefully be answered after we die someday.
I think that absolute truths are products of a belief in a higher power. Even those who say that they are atheistic live in a culture that has been shaped constantly by religious notions, and thereby the atheists conform to certain beliefs derivative of various religions. An interesting case study to test this theory out would be an isolated population unaware of religion and left to its own devices. What type of morality would develop and how would it compare to our own sense of moral good?
ReplyDeleteIn this life I believe nothing is absolute. Especially when it comes to human nature. Human nature is like Ohio weather it is always changing and unpredictable. You maybe able to anticipate someone's actions or behavior but that doesn't mean it will come out to what you've anticipated every time. There are no absolute truths with empirical evidence that supports it 100%.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there are absolute truths and we are aware of them in a number of ways whether it be through our spiritual sense or our common sense. If you are an individual who believes in God you must come to the realization that God is an absolute truth, He is eternal and unchanging. On the other hand, in the physical world life and people seem to be in a constant state of change and nothing seems certain. However, it is also evident that in this world some things are constant and therefore there must be some absolute truths in this world. The saying goes that the only things you can be sure of in this life are death and taxes. Obviously there are ways of evading paying taxes but the physical demise of our material bodies is unavoidable for each and every one of us; in short, death is an absolute truth.
ReplyDeleteI think before we discuss absolute truths we first need to define "truth". I think truth is something that is proven to be or is accepted as true. I came across this quote and I found it very interesting. "There is such a Creator, and He has revealed His truth to us through His Word, the Bible. Knowing absolute truth/universal truth is only possible through a personal relationship with the One who claims to be the Truth—Jesus Christ."
ReplyDeleteWith this being said, I believe that absolute truth exists and that it leads us to God, the creator of Heaven and earth. And this is ultimately the absolute truth!
I do not think there are absolute truths and will try my best to explain why. When I began to think about this question I immediately thought "no" for reasons I'll explain later on. Then I got to thinking about what it means to be "dead" and thought well wouldn't it be an absolute truth that you are "dead" when your heart stops pumping? Since we've already discussed this issue previously it is safe to say there is some grey area (as usual) with such topics. With that being said the reason I do not believe there are absolute truths is because EVERYTHING in this world has meaning because we as a society assigned it that meaning. If you ever hear me jokingly state "what does this even REALLY mean?" or "How do we KNOW?" in the back of the classroom, it is because of this idea that everything we know in life is based on how we define it. This doesn't mean that it truly is what it is. Everything was assigned to give society structure (the alphabet, numbers, religion, etc.) so in the essence of what laws or truths are composed of, are these ideas that WE as people put together. I mean as far as religion goes we don't actually KNOW we just believe; plus what truly is religion anyways? See where I'm going with this? So basically I believe there cannot be absolute truths because any truth is based off what us (imperfect) humans define something to be. Also, what does it really mean to be "imperfect"? :)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. When I read this question the first thing I though was that death is the only thing that is absolute. After thinking about it for a minute I realized that death is not even absolute anymore. It's kind of like Plato's view that there is nothing perfect in this world. If there is nothing perfect, nothing can be absolute.
DeleteI love both of these guys responses and the one below. I couldn't put it better myself. Truth only holds meaning to the person who holds it to be true. We humans are all imperfect, and even religion cannot be relied on because once again imperfect humans play a role in what religion is. As long as humans are involved with "truth" it is never going to be absolute! Although I guess I could go back to what I just said and say that I am a human and thus I don't know if I am imperfect. How do I know that this is the truth. Maybe humans aren't imperfect and maybe they do know the absolute truth. Because there is no definite answer, and one can only base the truth off of what they believe which may not be the truth, is there even such a thing as truth??? I think this is the most loaded question ever!!!
Delete"I believe in everything - a little bit"
ReplyDeleteMarilyn Monroe
A famous quote that i feel is true. Ha. " I feel is true." So what, does that mean this is absolute truth? No. Fact is backed up with reason and supports and experiments and test. Truth on the other hand is what an individual feels is right in their mind to satisfy their need of that subject. I like the weather judgement that Blair uses in the sense that we are unpredictable and are continuously changing.
So Truth be told that the Truth is only True to the person/s who believe that Truth True!
from SHAD
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brandon Blair on this topic. Nothing in our lives nothing in absolutely true, even from the religious point of view, its all based on faith there is not proof or empirical evidence. Human nature is completely predictable, but that doesn't make it absolute and true. It’s just like weather, as Brandon said, and the same goes for human actions. Nothing is this world is guaranteed other than death.
I believe in truths, but I don't think we've discovered any of them yet. I kinda view truths the way that Plato views proofs. We have an idea of a truth, and based on that truth we form various ideas of what is truth. But we don't kow what that real "truth" is because we can't view it fully; we just have an impression. I can try to explain this with religion. Most individuals hold an idea of some god or greater power, or even multiple gods. Who's to say that each god is not part of a larger truth which is "GOD"? That each belief system that accompanies is a puzzle piece to a larger picture that is "TRUTH"?
ReplyDeleteThis quote not only shows light unto the idea or expression it also sums up your whole thought!!!!
Delete"In seeking absolute truth we aim at the unattainable and must be content with broken portions."
In other words one's view on truth may be extremely different that the nexts
When it comes to life, i dont think anything is absolute. someone can be 99.9% sure about alot of things, but that doesnt guarantee anything. Thats what tough about life and thats why i think hope is important going back to the other post. Also, faith is a big part of life. Do we know whats to happen to us in life? Do we know what the future holds? of course not. Thats why i think hope and faith are crucial to finding meaning in life. otherwise you could get stuck aimlessly wondering through life struggling to find a purpose.
ReplyDeleteThere are most definitely absolute truths. Some of these absolute truths may not be tangeable but society is still governed by them. An example would be that we all know that stealing is bad, that's why people feel guilty. In this sense, there are absolute truths.
ReplyDeleteThe more complicated issues do not have absolute truths, in my opinion. Each of the big issues we discussed in class are so subjective that it's very hard (near impossible) to put an absolute truth to the concept.
I believe there are absolute truths in this world. I see the golden rule being the ultimate one. I think that all of the major religions somehow are connected to this. The absolute truth is only truly known to a higher power that will hopefully be answered after we die someday.
ReplyDelete