Truth and doubt

"The first was never to accept anything as true if I had not evident knowledge of its being so; that is, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to embrace in my judgment only what presented itself to my mind so clearly and distinctly that I had no occasion to doubt it."

Oh Descartes... what a joker. Not the most beautiful quote about truth that I can find. 'Truth' is abundant: you can find it anywhere. So many quote pages and proverbs full of wit, elegance and pure poetry. I do like a good quote, I do. What's more if you want to find out what the truth is, you don't have far to look. Every mouth, every newspaper, every scientist, every religion, every expert (and by gosh, everyone is an expert). In fact, I feel it would be fair to say that truth is a bit of a national obsession. Nay! A universal obsession. It may not be a beautiful quite but I think Descartes sums up what truth is, doesn't he? Truth is that which cannot be doubted; that which is so simple, universal and obvious, that no-one can help but say "That is true!". The only possible people who could argue against the truth are those who are biased and passionate, stupid or malicious. That very little, if anything in this world, is simple, obvious or impassionate should be ignored. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!

Life can be so difficult and confusing, full of self-doubt, identity crises, failed ambition. What can be more comforting than those prophets; the harbringers of truth? It's a corrupt world out there, trying to bring you down, trying to pull you in different directions. They stop you seeing that little nugget of light which will make everything make sense and make you feel at complete ease. Then you see your prophet: clear, concise, confident, happy, able to fight off all of his critics. At first you have your questions, your doubts. "Ah" they say... "good question... and I know my answer doesn't satisy you but you're not on that level yet... you work at it, study it, meditate on it and you'll see I'm right! You can become just like me" Well you believe them of course... what else can you do? They've been right about other things, they've helped me tremendously, what they say connects with me; they must have some special access to the truth. They become your authority, you follow what they say and yes indeed, they were right all along. What they say is obvious, it's simple, you cannot possibly doubt it. Why didn't I see it earlier? How can other people not see it now? Okay so someone has pointed out something that my method cannot answer. We're nothing if not modest. We don't know everything yet but we will do one day. After all, what else could decide it?

Yet we still live in this doubt-filled world, full of chaos, full of suffering, full of stupidity. Ah.. but we live in an unredeemed world. I may be in touch with the truth but so many people are lost sheep. I've had the advantage of free thought, a good teacher and the right oppurtunities. I've come to these problems with a clear head whilst everyone else has been conditioned into some kind of insanity. There is a simple problem and a simple solution... we sort this out and we'll sort the world out. So you try and do some outreach and bring them into the fold. Educate them, that's the key! Ah, but some people are still not doing what I think they ought. They must be stupid or malicious. The problem becomes into clearer focus.... these certain people or this certain ideology is the problem; get rid of them and the world will be perfect. Love and peace will remain supreme, but first get rid of these nasty, scheming, devious little heretics.

Yes Mr. Dawkins; knower of all, prophet and master.... of course, evolution provides the answer to why I went to Asda rather than Tescos. Science will find the theory of everything (oops... i nearly wrote 'anything'). Anyone who thinks anything other than the scientific method can do anything (e.g. choose my lottery numbers, for instance) is an idiot. I'll tell you what... let us get rid of religion and wars will end.

Yes 'o pious one who trembles before G-d'; science, philosophy, technology are all the voice of evil (in fact anything that may be associated with modernity or secularism). What's their crime? They cause people to have doubts and to question. I'll tell you what, let us ignore what science says and insist on a literal reading of Genesis. Nevermind the fact that reading aggadah (non-legal Jewish material) literally is a very modern thing itself. Never mind the hard work of trying to find meaning in G-d's creation; just deny it! While we are at it, feminism stinks of modernity so let us keep men and women from being within 2 miles of each other. Let us ban anyone who has a mobile phone with access to the internet, from getting any religious honours. Nevermind the fact that you are syaing the Torah can't exist in the world... that you instead have to hide from it.

Yes you young socialist idealists... no doubt the inexorable movement of history is towards the Marxist society you imagine. If it wasn't for those damn capitalists! or should I say Americans. Or Zionists (cough cough, you mean Jews no?) Same difference! This historical movement is so closed to doubt that to achieve your goals feel free to side with murderers, tyrants, fascists, suicide bombers, and dictatorships. After all, your enemy's enemy is your friend.

What a crazy little picture I have just painted. Isn't it though? All these people putting their absolute trust in science/religion/philosophy (not many people would do this, I venture)/Marxism/ socialism/ facism/Kabbalah water (delete as appropriate. Only one will serve as scorn whilst you have freely chosen to be one of the others). Look at these ideologies vying to be the one absolute truth, people running like sheep to baa obeyingly at their authorities. Aren't they intolerant? Why do they ill treat those who have different beliefs? How can they be so confident that they are right?

Surely the only thing that is certain is that there is no absolute truth. It is just so illiberal to think that you are right and others could be wrong. Truth is subjectivity! Subjectivity is truth!
Of course, if this saves you from doubt, wonderful. If it saves you from having to think or take tough decisions, excellent. Just go with the flow, do what you want, what your feelings tell you to do. No need to feel guilty about anything you do because there are no ultimate standards. Of course, this becomes an orthodoxy of its own. You discard one god, its replaced quickly enough. Its just in our wonderful we have the insipid gods of money, sex, technology, and celebrity big brother. Everyone is free apart from those who dare to have an opinion, a moral or ethical stance, an intellectual stance or a religious stance. Science is worshipped unless it dares to come up with an opinion like there may be small sex differences. You are a dangerous person to be in a liberal society. You need to be re-educated (or integrated as they like to call it) and if not, cast out as a heretic.

So we see.... none of these options turn out to well. This view which sees the truth of an ideology linked to the lack of doubt. If there is a way out out of doubt, this and only this must be correct and must act on this and make others see this at any cost. On the other hand if the right things isn't obvious there cannot be a right way. If there is no universal truth, there is nothing I must do and nothing I must accept. But of course, this is the one true thing, the one thing I can't doubt. Both options see the limit of what we can know as the limit of what is. If there is a truth we must know it. And by some reverse logic, it must be that what I am committed to (no matter what it is) just must be that which is correct.

We all try and transcend the confusion and turmoil and finding comfort in the eternal and unchangeable! In the truth! In the clear and simple! In the doubtless! In the knowledge that what I know could not have been otherwise! My actions are good because I KNOW them to be good. I'm living my life in the right way because I KNOW it to be the right way. I'm following people who I KNOW to be good people.

This view is what is known in Judaism as idolatry!! Believing there is one truth, one set of correct opinions which we can reach out and grasp is tantamount to saying you can read the mind of G-d. To say that you alone know what is right and people should do as you say is to set yourself as a god. A society that pursues what it sees as the truth without thinking and without questioning is one who builds a Tower of Babel. Even Moses couldn't in any sense know G-d; he asks to see G-d's face and is refused. Ultimately, we do not know the foundation of our knowledge because we cannot know THE foundation of reality (G-d!)

Yet, we are commanded to know G-d (be rational, do philosophy). Commanded to master nature (be empirical, do science). Commanded to redeem the world (politics, halahca). Commanded to perfect ourselves (ethics). We do not know the ultimate truth but neither can we do what we want or think anything. We have to do things like science, and can't aimlessly abandon what it says if we don't like it; just so long as we don't idolise it and give it absolute authority outside of its bounds.

There is no word for truth in Judaism and no word for belief. The closes to 'true' is 'emet' which means to act truthfully (be true to yourself, be true to others and to G-d, keep your side of the bargain). The closest to belief is emunah which means something like believing in someone/ trusting them). Neither of these are doubt-free! One can never be 100% sure what the right thing to do is; all we can say is act truthfully. Not everything important is the most immediately obvious and certain thing to do: one must have trust, stick your head above the parapit and do your bit without first having assurance that the other side of the bargain will be kept. Of course, the other side of the relationship to trust (but is an essential part of it) if questioning. Absolute trust without thinking as we see leads to terrible things. Part of being in a relationship means that the other side listens to your concerns. Don't take what you are being told are your duties lying down. If it seem unjust wrestle with it.

The balance is tough. Life is tough and there is very little doubt-free truth. Get over it and get on. But do so with humility, tolerance and a good sense of common sense scepticism. No matter what it appears like; there are no easy answers.

My first blog

My first intrepid venture into the land of blogging. What am I going to write about generally? I don't know. Am I going to write anything now? No. Will I be very active for a couple of weeks, and then not be bothered any more (like with every diary I have ever tried to write)? Probably.

However, I read something about how blogging is having a really important impact and even the big newspapers are sitting up and taking notice. For example, bloggers pointed out faked and staged photographs supposedly taken during the recent Lebanon war. It got me thinking that this could turn out to be a really valuable tool. It's a chance to get your voice out there and to put forward a point of view that people may have not heard before. Politics, religion, science, philosophy, the environment. Think of the possibilities!

A groundswell of reasonableness, bottom-up; real democracy at work. That's the dream. Hear each other's voices. Of course, no-one generally reads blogs unless the blog is arrogant, one sided and full of vitriol. Those who have an axe to grind generally do just fine. Blogs allow for more depth than sound bite politics but hardly for reasoned argument. Just the right length for a mini-speech. Oh well, we can all but try. It'll hopefully be therapeutic at least.