How can we transcend language (symbols, fine art, music any form of human communicaiton) to be able to know the real Truth of what is?Can we get access to the "thing itself" as Plato would like?
Are we more like the sophists or Plato in our thinking, Why?
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Finding the absolute truth is a very difficult thing to accomplsh due to our different perceptions and illusions that we have from other people. Language is a rapidly changing in meaning and therefore can be diffucult for people to understand if they're looking for the absolute truth. Plato doesn't believe that language is the right way to express our jusgments on our thinking and therefore we are more like sophists then Plato.
I don't think there is a 'real Truth' of what is because everyone has their own perceptions and ideas of what a symbol can represent, or what a sentence means. With so many different opinions and views, I don't think it's possible to have a right or wrong truth/Truth, just what someone has the most faith or belief in. I think society and humans as 'we' are more like Plato because we know others have different perceptions and viewpoints, so there can never be a definite what a right/wrong moral is, or a firm truth/Truth of something is; there is only what the majority thinks is moral/immoral, right/wrong.
Personally i think there is such thing as a real truth. Yea every person has different perceptions, but in the end, all the different perceptions can be put together to form the actual truth.
I personally do not have the urge to search for the "absolute truth" it is possible that its out there, but i doubt it is. Everyone has their own views, and perceptions on things, &i think even the absolute truth could be perceived in more than one way. What is the truth to one person, is false to another. We all understand language in different ways. Even something as simple as text messages can cause miscommunications because of the way people perceive things. Also, on a more complex level, we never really know whether we all see the same colors. We may call a fire truck, a hydrant, blood, and a stop sign "red" but do we really know we're all seeing the same color red? Maybe what is red to me is blue to another person.
I think we as people are more like sophists because we do use language to get our ideas and thoughts across. It is the only way in which we know how to do so. Our language could be perceived in different ways and might not be the most accurate way to get thrings across to one another, but its really the only way we know how to.
In our own lives, we seem to be slowly changing from a Platonic society to a Sophist way of mind. For thousands of years people have looked for the one Truth, something to define their lives and give their routines meaning. To do this, people looked towards religion over science, taking solace in the idea of a higher power. But, as far back as the Enlightenment, society started taking the Sophist point of view, and instead turned to science to explain the mysteries of the universe. As people become less religious and more dependent on science and technology, we become a Sophist society, using logic and reason over the answer of there being a one "Truth" for everything. Access to this "Truth" is hard to find and gain, and so man has turned away from it, instead using something within their grasps to explain the world around them.
The human viewpoint is often tainted and only has one demension. We are unable to see the truth that lies within the whole society, so we are using it off our own truths. The universal truth,I believe, that it can be found, once we "trim down the fat" of the many perspectives of the universe. The world will not be able to accept this view point though, as they are too ingrained in their own way of thinking and of life and values. This makes the finding of the truth, although possible, fruitless in the end. Our society does not like to be changed.
In our changing society, truth is but a small part. We are changing out views to not trust the Truth all to much. We express ourselves through reasons and decisons made from around us. We use emotions, art, and different languages to express our ideas. Though these can be misinterpreted, they create a bond that links the people together. We rely on reasons rather than to trust the truth that can be altered.
It is impossible to find the Truth because it does not exist. Different people have different takes on life and everyone sees things separately through a unique light. Conveying a single truth would therefore be extremely hard because to one person it could be exactly right, while to another it could be partially right, and to another completely wrong. We should accept language and overcome it by understanding differences between one another and each person's perspective. If someone else dislikes your music, they don't necessarily dislike you, and vice versa. Tolerance is key to transcending differences in culture because a search for the ultimate truth is pointless. We are more like the sophists because we believe in knowledge and facts rather than focusing on finding the one solid truth.
In my opinion absolute Truth does exist, but what is Truth to me will not be perceived the same way as someone say from a different culture. Communication, like society is constantly changing so again truth will come down to perspective. Getting to the "thing itself" is not possible, for example what we take for an apple is way more sophisticated and complex than the human brain can comprehend. I think society is more like Plato because it understands that there will always be dissent and confusion when the subject of Truth comes up. What then the majority of society accepts,is the formation of the moral code that humans follow.
Finding absolute Truth is impossible considering the fact that truth is decided upon by opinion. Everyone has their own perception of things so the "thing itself" cannot be found. Each individual can perceive the "thing itself" as something different and can still be right. If what your opinion is feels right and can be rationally explained, then you have found the absolute truth. Someone else may also be able to explain their opinion rationally, but could possibly have a completely separate opinion from yours, yet they too may indeed have found the absolute truth.
The absolute truth is to each his/her own. There is no possible way to describe the infinite with the finite. Language and perceptions are the chains that bind us from reaching the absolute truth but in the end if a person does reach it, it is solely their Truth. They can't articulate this Truth to anyone else and everyone's uniqueness also suggests a uniqueness in Truth as well. If there turns out to be a universal Truth than we must somehow find a new method of communication that is just as infinite. Otherwise this Truth just remains unique anyway even if we all reach the same conclusion. Since we need language to operate and survive there is no way for their to be a universal Truth. Everything operates using a language, even computers and animals, so suggesting that there is that universal Truth is to say that everything we have been communicating to each other has been fallacious ideas.
I believe that it is impossible to transcend language and to obtain the real Truth. I don't believe we have it in ourselves to even get close to accessing the "thing itself" either. We, as the general human species, are flawed and never able to attain the Truth. We are a self contradictory, mentally unstable, violent, disgusting, self obsessive, ignorant, and greedy. Even if we could obtain the real Truth or even access the "thing itself", I believe that we would just abuse it like we abuse everything else we claim to "own". Besides, I don't believe we even deserve the real Truth. We don't even really believe in the Truth, we are so obsessed with SOUNDING right, we don't care about BEING Right. We think that within sounding Right, is being Right, and that you ARE telling the Truth. As long as you sound Right, American society considers you Right. We are obviously a Sophist society.
I believe we are more like the Sophists, in our beliefs, than like Plato. Our society revolves around language and perception. Politicians use language to convince voters that their ideas are "right", thus changing the voters perception and making them think that what will ultimately harm them is the best thing that could happen; in general people are not interested in the "absolute truth" of the matter but only what they percieve as being "right".
As I've said before, I don't think there is a one absolute truth. I think there are absolute truths within each and everyone of us which we gain through perspective and understanding. We can find our truths from language, music, art and whatever else we have passion for. We are not all the same, therefore, we don't have the same "truths." Society today sees through the lenses of a sophist's. Overall, as a society, we don't care about the truth. We go along with whatever is thrown at us. Now not everyone is like this, but for the most part it is. And if there is one "Absolute Truth," it would be seemingly impossible to find due to all the changes in our world. Language, art, music, science, and the way we think have all evolved into what people call a more advanced time.
Real Truth does exist. The real truth varies person to person. A doctor would not be proficient in law practices where as a lawyer would not be able to perform open heart surgery. A society may only have one widely used common language but millions of truths.In america we do use language such as art and music to get our ideas across as Sophists would, but still individually are searching for truth
I do not believe in the Absolute Truth. The point of life is to take the time to experience, and be able to tell from experience. When you spend so much time looking for the absolute truth, you will probably never end up finding it. Everyone has said that each person has a different perception, and I agree with this. I only feel this way because I have experienced myself how looking too hard for something can get you nowhere.
I believe that there is no absolute truth due to everyone having there own perception. I believe we are more like the sophists. Plato doesn't believe that language is the correct way to express our perceptions on our thinking there as stating that we are moving toward a sophist society.
in my personal opinion i do think there is a total truth, we just have to find it. if we look hard enough we will be able to find it one day and we will become happy
i do not think there is a an absolute truth. we spend our whole lives searching for something like an answer, but we never find it. we ask ourselves questions like why? how? who? and we only get answers in the form of another question to answer. if there was something to be looking for it would be to stop looking. we would never get anywhere. we would be missing out on everything in life. its a waste of time to just search and try in many ways to find one thing. you should live with your own morals and perceptions and not try to find the truth, because there isn't one. People live in their own ways and have morals that they go by in life. i personally do not believe that there is an absolute truth.
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