So let’s think, and talk, about Truth (pt 1)

This would seem to be the simplest of the three tenets laid out in Superman’s mantra. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says, in part, “(1) the state of being the case, (2) the body of real things, events, and facts;” and a bit later, “the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality”. These fit into what most of us intuitively think of as Truth. But the same source also hints at a big problem in today’s world, and one I’ll return to shortly, by saying “a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true”. Hold that problematic notion for a moment, please … (or really until pt 2)

This could go in a lot of different directions, and I’d be delighted to explore most of them over a sufficiently good bottle of Petite Syrah. However, for purposes of this narrower collection of writings, I’d like to stay on the Truths which govern or frame our political and social beings and interactions. I really am trying to get to some recent events, actors, and actions, but please indulge me while I lay a bit of foundation for my thinking here.

We could probably start with the first Truths deemed sufficiently important to serve as the basis for an aspiring democracy — “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” It was aspirational, to be sure, and like most people with big dreams, we initially fell far short of realizing what was contained in that momentous sentence. Fortunately, another equally aspirational sentence gave us the room to keep trying — “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.” OK: many people have taken these sentences in many different directions, much more thoughtfully than I could, and that’s not my focus today. Still, I do think it important to acknowledge that the seeds for our nascent democracy were shared Truths.

And, partly as an outgrowth of the idea that this was a country built on principles and laws (which strove to treat all as equals, although that’s been and still is a work in progress) rather than genetic or other privilege, Truth became an important ideal. It formed the basis of our law enforcement system (“swear to tell the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth”); it became, in its written form, the foundation of the contracts through which all commerce and trade drove our economy beyond the imaginations of the founders; and it was — and remains — the basis of our social interactions. All of these, in some form, are able to function because of a shared appreciation of, and reliance on, the first two of the Merriam-Webster definitions above — “the state of being the case”, being “factual” (or, in somewhat more contemporary argot, “being real”).

The reason Truth mattered, in these and many other parts of life, is not that we, as a people, suddenly discovered our inner philosopher. Rather, the presence and value of Truth fosters an environment of Trust. When one believes the people and institutions with whom one must interact — from businesses, to law enforcement, to the everyday sources of information on which we rely — are at least largely Truthful, those counter-parties gradually earn one’s Trust, making it possible for one to function productively (i.e., without having to second-guess or verify every single interaction of our everyday activities). Truth, repeated and consistent, brings about Trust, which is essential for a free society.

OK — enough of my views on the essential nature of Truth for our country and society. I’m sure you have many additions to this framework; feel free to chime in. In pt 2, coming soon, I want to discuss the growth of the Untruth in contemporary politics and its corrosive effect on our democracy. As preparation, I’ll suggest a short homework assignment — the most recent “Gray Matter” column, in the March 5 NYTimes, by Philip Fernbach and Steven Sloman, is entitled “Why We Believe Obvious Untruths” (link:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/opinion/sunday/why-we-believe-obvious-untruths.html?_r=0), and is a wonderful summary of some recent studies on the malleable nature of perceived and internalized Truth. Or, if you don’t have time for the homework, just remember Mark Twain’s succinct explanation of the problem: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Back soon …