To:    Comment at the Guardian
Re:    The thing about the "truth"
Date: Sunday 19 November 06

In response to an Observer article, "The truth is out there . . . . somewhere" on the problem of the amount of information now available to people, by Will Hutton

Link to article and thread at The Guardian.
 

The thing about the "truth" is that you cannot grasp it or ever be absolutely sure what it is.

One thing I am fairly sure of, however, is that there is no such thing as "objectivity". We all see ourselves and the world around us from our own particular perspective, through strongly distorting lenses which have been shaped by many influences, including nowadays the media and, of course, our own vested interests.

This is why we are still refusing to recognise the fundamental non-sustainability of our economy and the grossly materialistic lifestyles and lifestyle aspirations it engenders (and depends upon), which are driving us towards the biggest catastrophe in human history.

Another way of seeing it is to realize is that we don't experience reality itself, but an interpretation of it, produced by our brains, which is adapted to be more-or-less consistent with the view we already have of ourselves and the world around us, and is strongly influenced by the views of others and by our own perceived interests.

This is a topic in urgent need of a lot more attention.

If only we were not all so busy distracting ourselves, or allowing ourselves to be distracted, particularly by the media.

My homepage: http://www.spaceship-earth.org