h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You know its not just Communists who use brainwashing techniques. I mean how do you think parents teach their children to eat nicely?

Once something has been proven once, if does not need to be proven again. The state of being proven is a state of absolute irrefutability. Once proven, something cannot be disproven. You can only find that the original proof was not sufficient and therefore it was never proven at all. For instance, if the assumptions on which it was founded were not wrong.

This is probably the major reason that science calls its greatest works theories, not facts.

Something that I believe to be absolute truth, although I cannot prove if, is that you will not be able to prove the existence of absolute truth, because your point of view is relative.

hi Bouncy,

Long time no see. Happy new year!

One other thing that I find curious. Why do we even *care* about something so abstract and unreal as an absolute truth? How would this serve us?

az

Hi Azahar

The term 'absolute truth' has no meaning. There is truth and there is not-truth.

From a druid perspective:

The truth and the land are one.

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Happy birthday .

As for absolute truth, as far as I can tell, Nerd thinks that if he can prove that it exists, then he can go about proving that part of his personal version is the absolute truth.

Thanks, Bouncy

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Well, exactly. But as I said before - how does this help? What purpose is there in searching for or attempting to prove an 'absolute truth', especially as this cannot exist. What is the motivation behind needing to have an absolute truth? I think it is insecurity.

az

"As for absolute truth, as far as I can tell, Nerd thinks that if he can prove that it exists, then he can go about proving that part of his personal version is the absolute truth."
Exactly! It is impossible to prove that something is true to someone who doesn't believe in the existance of truth in the first place!
This absolute truth thing is what you'd call a two sided thing, if the existance of truth can be proven then what I believe to be true could be wrong. If truth is relative to one's point of view however, it is impossible that I am wrong because there is no wrong.
Nerd42

Nerd,

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Of course this all boils down to whose version of 'truth' one chooses to believe in.

az

it all boils down to whether any given thing is true or not.
Nerd42

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No it does not. What I believe is true is not necessarily what you or others would believe is true. And so?

You have still not given any 'proof' as to what is *your* personal belief in an ultimate truth, Nerd.

You think you know 'ultimate truth'? Okay, show us what that is.

az

No, I don't. I am wrong on things sometimes, just like everybody else, and sometimes I even admit it.
Nerd42

Nerd,

Okay then, how do *you* judge something as being true or not?

az

First-hand observation is pretty solid....
Nerd42

Nerd,

But that is just personal opinion - it isn't anything that could be called a 'universal truth' just because maybe *you* have experienced it.

az

you are trying to make the point that yes, truth exists, but we cannot ever see it, right?
Nerd42

Nerd,

No, I am trying to make the point that you personally see things as TRUTH but they are not true for everyone.

az

Of course there were WMDs in IRAQ.
It's only a few journalists that think
there were not. 42FM needs integrity!

Even in the same situation two people may observe different things.

Your experiences in life determine the viewpoint with which you see the world, while your viewpoint on the world defines what you experience of what actually happens.

The world wants to be deceived.

On a different tack, you play too many word games Nerd. It is highly unlikely that any of us on this threads will ever prove anything that has not already been proven. It is highly unlikely that anyone could be said to have ever absolutely proven anything, since the process of logical proof ultimately requires assumptions.

Given that the subjects you tend to pick to talk on here about are not exactly the sort that lend themselves to proof, perhaps it might be a better idea for you to try your hand at simply trying to demonstrate your ideas in a rational matter?

Bouncy,

Nerd appears to be a kid with too much time on his hands, though not enough (apparently) to finish threads that he starts when they generate too many difficult questions for him to answer. So I think this thread is 'safe' enough for him because he doesn't actually have to say anything.

ho hum

az

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