In Search of Truth

I said in a recent posting: "I care more about arriving at the truth than already having it when I started a conversation." My blog header also states: "This blog is a redoubt in search of truth in a world darkened by lies," and I have argued that when we want to throttle petty, tyrant bureaucrats that it is not just simple honesty we crave, but that "We want honest answers because we're given bullshit, obfuscation, and lies."

Vox of course recently posted on having an affinity for those in search of truth.

The individuals I appreciate most are those who seek after the truth, even when they find it uncomfortable or personally distasteful. I am far more comfortable with the seekers than with those who are convinced that they have arrived at the final one true understanding of God, Man, the universe, and everything, whether it is the Catholic Church, the Bible, or Science that provides them with the basis for their baseless confidence.

Note the difference - between those who think they know the truth and are not willing to change when experience and the world show them otherwise, and those who constantly seek it, willing to discard what they knew, if sometimes slowly and painfully, when they realize they are wrong.

In my own life, despite an upbringing that included a lot of truth about communism, I rejected the self-assurance of the explicitly religious, and wandered through liberal circles for a while. It took a few years but not only did I realize that, despite their pretensions, that they had no monopoly on truth, but that they were, ultimately, not interested in truth.

It was that desire to learn, possess, and be in alignment in truth that led me back out of that den of snakes, and also the greatest single factor in most of my changes in attitude and belief.

Vox says to look at not only where a person is, but where they are, and what that says about where they will be.

Scott Adams talks about not having so much goals as systems that will lead to improvement and good outcomes. Good habits, if you will. 

Being dedicated to truth is a system that cuts down on false rationalizations, self-delusion, and lying to oneself and others.