Truth as such has no value in itself
The importance of truth as such is overrated.
Many atheists harp on the fact that religious ideas are not true, which is totally correct but may be irrelevant, because what ultimately counts in evolution - its 'currency' so to speak - is not truth but practical viability ( i.e. survival and reproduction).
Truth as such has no value in itself.
You need enough truth (= adequate knowledge of the real world 'out there' ) in order to successfully survive. If you know well enough those aspects of reality that are relevant for your daily life, for your evolutionary fitness, that is perfect. That is all we need.
The value of truth in personal life is greatly overrated. Above all: You do not know the truth to live a happy and successful life.
Do not forget: There is not atheist's heaven where those who had the courage to face the scary and unpleasant facts of life and the desire not to delude themselves will get a reward. There is no such reward. If life seems to be too bleak, just feel free to invent some anodyne story, or to subscribe to one of the stories or placebos that already exist.
Therefore there is not rational reason why people should not benefit from one of the many varieties of "opium of the masses" if it gives them pleasant feelings.
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10 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Your statement that truth has no value is not true. But, according to your own post, I don't suppose you really care much whether it is true or not.
Heraclitus
Level 8
June 16, 2019
1
To be honest, and I am sure there are many that will refute this, that is the most sensible post I have seen here for some time.
Geoffrey51
Level 8
June 7, 2019
0
You do seem to have cut the ground from under your own feet, Matias. Why should anyone take your proposition - 'Truth as such has no value in itself' - if you announce that you are prepared to say any old thing at all, if it gives you pleasant feelings? That doesn't sound like a 'rational reason' for accepting your proposition.
Connelly
Level 2
June 7, 2019
1
It is true that natural selection optimizes for survival, not enjoyment. In that sense, natural selection doesn't "care" about truth.
But humans can, sometimes do, and always should rise above that. We should, at this point in our evolutionary development, be becoming about something more than survival.
By your logic, one can also say that kindness, empathy, equanimity, integrity, and a whole lot of other things are "overrated", too.
As to the notion that people should partake of religion if it gives them pleasant feelings, I would no more make an unqualified recommendation in that regard than I would concerning recreational drugs or joining the local pickleball league. I mean, in principle you gotta do what you gotta do to get through your days, provided it is in your long term rational self interest and that of your loved ones and of society in general. When it comes to deliberately embracing "some anodyne story" I tend to feel that is fine so long as you (1) known you're doing it, (2) don't feel it's binding on others and (3) don't try to impose it on others, including by attempting to influence public policy with those "anodyne" arguments. That, coincidentally, describes the sort of religious person I have no real malfunction with, BTW.
mordant
Level 8
June 6, 2019
1
Truth has incredible value!
Truth: if you touch a hot burner you will be injured.
Truth: if you step in front of an 18-wheeler going 70mph you will be injured.
Truth: if you steal, cheat, or otherwise abuse others, you will be friendless & probably incarcerated.
Truth: if you cheat on your SO, you are buying a boatload of hurt for them. (And hopefully for you!)
And etc.........
Are you trying to make excuses for drumpy & that crowd by making TRUTH unimportant?
AnneWimsey
Level 9
June 6, 2019
3
Truth and falsity, beyond logic seems (to me) to be about power as an ideologically force (hence political). The form of governance or collectivity (tyranny, democracy, kingship or whatever) shapes our interpretation and our understanding of our context and situation. What is considered true or false,for the whole are the paradigmatic keys that form the basis of our understanding historical, current and future events.
cava
Level 7
June 6, 2019
1
Some religious beliefs are downright false, while others contain truth. The most inspiring religious ideas for me come from intuitive insights that can not be proven either true or false. Besides that, there are personal emotions such a reverence and awe for which the concept of true vs. false has no applicability.
The very concept of true vs. false is not all that profound IMO. It arises only in connection with communication such as language. That kind of truth is not absolute, but is relative to context. An assertion can be both true and false, as well as meaningless and meaningful. It can be both provable and unprovable. It all depends on definitions and assumptions.
We are very busy trying to absorb incoming sensory data, and through layer after layer of data compression, labeling, and icon creation we each create our private reality. Is it any surprise that we disagree so often about whatās what?
I plan to stay out of the business of religious people.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
June 6, 2019
1
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