The Metaphysic of Truth
In the vast universe of human intellectual endeavor, the quest for?Truth has remained one of perennial focus. The pursuit of truth has been one of the core context in which our civilization evolves, shaping the course of history, fueling the engines of progress, and providing a moral compass in times of ethical ambiguity. Yet, the intricate dynamics of this quest reveal a fascinating paradox. The very subjectivity that defines our human nature, our individual life experiences, and our personal interpretations of the world around us, serves as the central of falsehood, or rather, a thing we can call as?Anti-Truth. These individual constructs of reality, while essential for personal growth and self-actualization, often diverge from the universal truth or deviate from the collective and/or objective understanding of what is true.?
However, the plot of human civilization complexified this phenomena further. In this grand narrative, we witness the emergence of an ethical framework wherein everything is permitted and permissible. This is the quintessential Anti of our pursuit of truth. Such a frame potentially erodes the very foundations of our quest for truth, like entropy dissipating away the energy at order and inertia stalling the wheels of progress. Amidst such a complex interplay of forces, the question that we need to ask is how we can find the Anti(dote) for such a thing.?
Thus we'll have the convoluted and metaphysical landscape of truth, the Anti-Truth, the Anti-Anti-Truth, and the Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth. It will need a superstructure of absolute ethical contemplations, shedding light on how humanity can navigate this labyrinth and find the Ultimate Anti(dote) for the Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth.
I. Anti-Truth?
The concept of Anti-Truth refers to the denial or rejection of truth. It is the opposite of truth and can be seen as a form of falsehood or deception. Anti-Truth can be intentional or unintentional, and it can be used to manipulate or deceive others. It can also be a result of ignorance or a lack of understanding of what is true.
However, in a deeper concept of Anti-Truth transcends mere deception or falsehood. It is a reflection of the inherent subjectivity of human perception and comprehension. The human consciousness and understanding, with its inherent biases, preconceived notions, and cultural conditioning, by its very nature, becomes an 'Anti-Truth' apparatus. It has the tendency to interpret reality within the confines of its limited understanding, hence, distorting the pure truth. This is the crux of the 'Anti-Truth' problem that has plagued human civilization since the foundation of the world.?
II. Anti-Anti-Truth?
On the other hand, Anti-Anti-Truth is the effort to counteract that very stable and timeless Anti-Truth reality. It is the pursuit of truth and the rejection of falsehood or deception. Anti-Anti-Truth is the recognition that there is such a thing as truth and that it is important to seek it out and understand it. It is the opposite of Anti-Truth and can be seen as a form of integrity and the constant effort to stay away from polarization and dichotomic thinking.?
And yet, the pursuit of truth, this 'Anti-Anti-Truth', if you will, has been a consistent endeavor of human civilization. The development of scientific methodologies, the evolution of philosophical thought, the proliferation of academia - all these are testament to mankind's relentless quest for truth. But this pursuit of 'Anti-Anti-Truth' is not without its challenges. Just as the laws of physics speak of inertia and entropy, so does the ethical landscape of civilization show a tendency towards a state where everything is permissible and the concept of individual freedom and subjectivity is over-glorified, eventually the lines between truth and falsehood are (again) becoming blurred.?
III. Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth?
This bring us to the concept of Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth, re-iterating the cyclical nature of human's civilization suggests that there is a tendency for civilization to swing back towards Anti-Truth. This can happen when there is a lack of ethical framework and ultimate moral compass. In such a situation, the pursuit of truth can be seen as a hindrance or an obstacle to achieving one's goals and selfish desire.?
This ethical entropy and inertia, in effect, becomes a new layer of 'Anti-Truth', an 'Anti-Anti-Anti Truth'. How do we navigate this very multiple layers of 'Anti-Truth'? The 'truth' about 'truth' is, perhaps, that it is not a static, unchanging entity. It is a dynamic, constantly evolving, shaped by our collective experiences and understanding. Recognizing this dynamism and embracing the ambiguity inherent in the concept of truth may well be the antidote to the 'Anti-Anti-Anti Truth'. The question that arises then becomes, how can we find the antidote to this Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth? How do we arrive, at the final analysis, as 'Anti-Anti-Anti-Anti Truth'?
IV. Anti-Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth?
One possible solution is to cultivate a culture of Integrity, Coherence and Tawhid, the concept of Oneness or Wholeness . This can be done by promoting the best education there is and a critical thinking as one's tool to gain better understanding and empowerment, encouraging open and honest communication, and holding individuals and institutions accountable for their actions.? It is sort of act of Love, an altruistic one, a love that defies the normative constructs of selfish desire and invites us into a realm of selfless giving. This love does not seek its own, it is not provoked, it delights and celebrates the truth we're looking for.?It is perhaps in True Love that we could find the ultimate Anti(dote) to the Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth. Love acts as our compass, guiding us through the muddy waters of subjectivity towards the paradoxical True Nature of Reality and Oneness, as an antidote to the corrosive forces of Anti-Anti-Anti-Truth. Love restores our faith in Truth, in its liberating and empowering potential, and its capacity to transcend boundaries, biases, and constructed narratives, leading us back to the very essence of our humanity.? By doing so, we can create a society that values truth and recognizes the importance of seeking it out, understanding it and putting it into action.
Perhaps, Hegelian dialectic methodology also holds another solution, where the evolution of ideas happens through a process of thesis (an idea) + antithesis (opposition to the idea), and its synthesis (the reconciliation that leads to a new idea). Applying this to our discourse, 'Truth' can be seen as the thesis, 'Anti-Truth' as the antithesis, and the synthesis hopefully could lead us to the Ultimate Truth and Reality - a new understanding that could reconciles the inherent subjectivity and limited human understanding with the objective and absolute reality of the world.?
All in all, while it seems that the Reality will always be bigger than ourselves, where the unobserved and the unobservable will always persist as challenge to our pursuit of truth, in all its complexity, is an integral aspect of human civilization and endeavour and flourishing. The layers of 'Anti-Truth', with all their "bugs & feature", serve not as an objective obstacles, but rather as The Way, the very stepping stones in this quest. Each 'Anti' is a step towards a deeper understanding of truth. Even the notion of the introduced 'Anti-Anti-Anti-Anti Truth' is indeed not a final destination, but a mere point in an ongoing and continuous journey. The journey where, hopefully, the End is better than the Beginning, where we could create the coherence between knowledge and wisdom, the coherence between theory and practice, the coherence between seeking and understanding, the coherence between knowing and acting. The life is here for us. It is our job to live it in meditative thinking and spirited action
By the forenoon,?And by the night when it is still.?Your Master has neither abandoned nor hated you. And indeed, the End is better than the Beginning.?And indeed, Your Master will give you so that you shall be well-pleased. Did He not find you an orphan, and gave you a refuge??And He found you lost, and guided you??And He found you poor, and made you self-sufficient? Therefore, do not treat orphan with oppression, And do not repulse the unwary, And proclaim the Blessing of Your Master.?(Q.S 93: 1-11)