What is the Greatest Truth?

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


Honestly, I BELIEVE I discovered the meaning of life for myself a long time ago.
My conclusion is satisfactory enough for me and I'd consider the matter closed if a relevant conversation were to arise, but that doesn't mean that someone else might not find their own solution to the meaning of life.
Perhaps it's different for everyone.

Simply put, my opinion is that the meaning of life is....
(to live)

reply to post by grimlocked


There's a difference between scientific truth, which is relative, and absolute truth (which can never be known).

The things we take as "true" today might be corrected tomorrow. Truth in this sense is a shifting concept. It's true at a particular time, waiting to be corrected by a future truth.

Of course, not, all truths are like this. I'm somewhat of a dualist, technically, I would be described that way. But I subscribe to a sort of monism which encompasses both physical and mental phenomena. Numbers, Mathematics - do they exist? Or are they mere conventions helping us move forward in our scientific inquiries? I think they exist in themselves - ontologically, as they say. So too our moral notions. Morality is not a "fixed" idea. If were to subscribe to a moral absolutism, like Kant, for example, we would never allow ourselves to kill someone who was trying to kill us. The morality I subscribe to is contextual. Every situation has a particular and unique moral demand. If were in tune with this moral truth, we act in accord with it. If not, we act against it. This is not by any means obvious. Some situations are easy, while others - like the fat man and the runaway cart - seem to have no consolable solution.

reply to post by grimlocked


If you have discovered the meaning of life then you have found the final truth. I would think in that case there is no higher truth for you. The only thing left would be to just live/exist.

I think we will never know the true meaning of life because it is what keeps us going. We want to know. We want to learn. If that were to come to and end, there would be nothing left to strive for.

Greatest truth in life:

We are God.

reply to post by Euphony


DING DING DING!!

I agree.

reply to post by grimlocked

Dear grimlocked,

With that one post you enter into the pantheon of ATS thinkers. (Granted, it's probationary status, but I'm still on probation. It's not so bad.) Hey, Akragon, get him a beer.

Besides my previous thoughts, I've also thought truth is subject to interpretation.

I wonder about that. If we know enough about, whatever "it" is, then we know it's true or false and there's no room for interpretation. I'm sorry to be putting words in your mouth, and please correct me, but it seems as though you're saying, "Of the things which we don't know to be true, everybody weights the evidence differently and comes to their own conclusions."

"My child is more intelligent than yours." That's a true or false statement, but we'll never get to an answer for it. We don't even know what "intelligent" means. There's a lot of room for interpretation. "My child is taller than yours." There, we can know the truth, and attempting to interpret it is an error.

If someone believes wholeheartedly that I'm incorrect, so much so, they feel the same way I do, but opposite notions, does it make their beliefs false? One side is definitely the correct opinion, and one is not, but until the answers unequivocally come to light, no one can say for certain.

And here you raise a fascinating question. What do we do with beliefs that we haven't proved? It seems silly to believe that we should only accept what has been proven. Our day to day lives are based on unproven beliefs. We almost always just go with the belief that makes the most sense to us.

That's why I disagree with Akragon's position that truth is relative to the individual. An individual's beliefs and interpretations may be relative and subjective, but truth is not.

The good thing about disagreements though, is that they provide an opportunity for different perspective, opinions, and challenges of one's notions of truth.

Absolutely right. We are not the best questioners of our own beliefs, as you pointed out. Some people, like the great philosophers, could do it, but even they went to others to help them find truth, if only by contrast.

Akragon, you've got yet another hit on your hands.

With respect,
Charles1952

reply to post by charles1952

That's why I disagree with Akragon's position that truth is relative to the individual. An individual's beliefs and interpretations may be relative and subjective, but truth is not.

This is why I've stated... One holds to his own truth until a greater truth is given...

At which point what was truth gives way to the greater truth...

this thread is dedicated to the search for the greatest truth...

Now personally I believe the greatest truth is love.... (and beer )



which I even have a challenge for... (posted on the first page)

reply to post by Akragon


I was thinking about this last night.

A lot of what I do requires reading books whose authors philosophical assumptions I disagree with (this being reductive materialism). I am constantly exposed to their positions, to their rationales, to their assumptions.

I was laying in bed the other night and I was brooding over this. Why aren't I bothered by this? Every night before bed, I do my prayers. Why do I pray? I began philosophizing in my head for why I believe what I believe - I do this every so often to remind myself of my views - and I came to a pretty basic conclusion.

At the root of things, we all simply choose what we want to believe in. Why do some people want to live as atheists, and others as theists? There are a few factors involved, the most basic being biology and environment. Together, biology and environment yield life experience. Our life experiences are exquisitely unique; you could a particular belief system - especially if it has been thought out deeply and not handed down to you by others - is specially crafted just for you. It's as unique to you as your genome or "connectome" (personality). So at the root of it, I believe in God because I WANT to believe in God. I can say this with impunity because God is a universal concept. It is something that can never be 'pinned' down with absolute certainty. It always lies beyond our grasp, beyond our conceptual ken. It is therefore up to each and every individual to ask themselves this one very simply question: do I want to believe in God, or not? If you do, don't do it partially, and don't seek to "revise" it based on new information. No information will ever suffice to prove or disprove the existence of God.

Science has nothing to say on the matter; it's job is to explain the workings of physical (and mental) phenomena. It can only describe. It cannot interpret. Interpretation is the provenance of philosophy, and philosophy is highly subject to how we feel about things.

So, as I sat in bed thinking this over, I felt better. I began to pray, pour out my heart, and I fell asleep soundly.

reply to post by Astrocyte


Individual beliefs have nothing to do with what is though...

This is why I've tried to keep religious discussion out of this topic...

We are free to "believe" whatever we wish... Yet there is only what exists and what does not...

though we can take this line of thought down an entirely different road since the advent of space travel...

For example... We know elves do not exist... but who is to say they don't exist on another planet somewhere in this universe....

Or we could theorise... the universe is just so huge...

How could they possibly not exist somewhere within it?

The greatest truth for me is knowing there are realms to our existence that we cannot see or experience but are there. The realization of just how small we are and how vast space is.

Originally posted by Akragon
We hear a lot about the lies around ATS... the lies in the media, lies from our Governments... from friends and strangers alike

But...

What is to be said about Truth?

Each person's experience in this life is different... Thus each persons truth is different...

It is said that a person holds to his truth... Until a greater truth is found... in which case the previous truth Gives way to the greater truth...

I wonder if we can find the greatest truth collectively?

And perhaps each of us might leave this thread with at least a greater truth then what was once held...

So this is the question I ask of you my dear friends....

What is the greatest truth?

You are.
Know thyself.

This moment and you can never be separated.
This moment is empty of all meaning - it is the non conceptual reality.

This is all that is appearing to exist.
No word can say what this is.
Yet it is always present.

The ultimate reality (truth) is the plain act of seeing.
It is hiding in plain sight.

To be able to see and hear what is and not be concerned with what isn't.

reply to post by Itisnowagain


Then what is the truth when this experience ceases to exist?

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by Itisnowagain

 

Then what is the truth when this experience ceases to exist?

Experiences are always ceasing to exist. Experiences come and go.
But what do they come and go in? Realize that and you will know the ultimate truth.

reply to post by Itisnowagain


that didn't answer the question now did it...

how does experience... even now, exist without something to witness said experience?

Unless something existed before what is "now"?

How can the greatest truth be now, if there is something greater then "now"?

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by Itisnowagain

 

that didn't answer the question now did it...

how does experience... even now, exist without something to witness said experience?

Unless something existed before what is "now"?

How can the greatest truth be now, if there is something greater then "now"?

What is greater than now?
It is always the present - the present appears to exist.

Truth comes in Triads

1. Intent
2. Intent has many masks
3. Its most clever mask is humility.

1. Joy
2. Joy does not come from gain
3. Joy comes from pursuing intent.

1. Love
2. Love is born from intent
3. Love is realized when intent is shifted on behalf of another.

Originally posted by Akragon
What is the greatest truth?

The fact that we HAVE it but refuse to actually believe it.

It's not just that "you can't handle the truth"...

It's more like we don't WANT to handle the truth.

Most of us are totally brainwashed, but absolutely refuse to believe it.

This is why MOST will not recognize truth if it bit them...

Well, you get the idea.

reply to post by Akragon

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by Itisnowagain

 

how does experience... even now, exist without something to witness said experience?

Unless something existed before what is "now"?

How can the greatest truth be now, if there is something greater then "now"?

The present is witnessing itself.
It never witnesses any thing other than itself but it pretends there is other. It gets lost in other (division/separation) and then returns to all there ever was.
It is the game oneness plays. Hide and seek.