Metrics of Meaning: Quest for Truth in a Postmodern Era
By Chaplain Darrell W. Wood
"What is truth?," asked Pontius Pilate of Jesus in Jerusalem when He was brought before him in the Praetorium for questioning prior to His crucifixion. The crux of this question has vexed humanity through the ages--and continues to create the focus of intellectual concerns in the 21st century.
In Christ's encounter with Pilate, leading to His trial and death on the cross, Pilate said to Him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37-38). Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!" (Ecce Homo!) (John 19:5).
Twenty centuries have passed since the cataclysmic events of Jesus' time that transformed the world--from the Pax Romana to the upheavals of ensuing epochs, including modernism and postmodernism....
Postmodernism, with its iconoclastic 20th-century paradigm shift, has found itself stuck on the horns of a dilemma. The very metanarrative it has challenged and deconstructed has merely morphed into a postmodern metanarrative itself--a game changer that changed the rules in the middle of the game. And with all the positive perspectives postmodernism presents as a corrective to some of modernism's rational failings, the tragedy of deconstruction is that too often the proverbial baby is thrown out with the bathwater. For the sake of balance (synthesis), the dialectics of philosophical dialogue would call for deconstructing (breaking down) postmodern deconstructionism in the same spirit in which it seeks to question the assumptions of modernism.
That postmodernism is indefinable is a truism, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Jean-Francois Lyotard, French philosopher whose classic, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, (1979), added the term "postmodern" to the philosophical lexicon, said, "I define postmodern as incredulity toward meta-narratives."
Ironically, and incredulously, postmodernism's pontifications, set forth in a grand scheme, have created its own metanarrative.
Lyotard states that his portrayal of the state of knowledge "makes no claims to being original or even true," and that his hypotheses "should not be accorded predictive value in relation to reality, but strategic value in relation to the questions raised." The book, then, is as much an experiment in the combination of language games as it is an objective "report."
The nuances of truth and meaning must be taken seriously and not just dismissed in a cavalier manner as 'some antics with semantics' in playful word games.
The search for truth in the 21st century is almost an anachronistic anomaly, because postmodernism pronounces that absolute truth is nonexistent and unknowable. The postmodernist declares that absolute certainty and objective truth are non sequiturs, fallacies or verisimilitudes following unproven premises. Criteria for finding truth--wherever it may manifest itself--are based on the finitude of human constructs, and rejects any metaphysical, spiritual, or theological premise/presupposition grounded in the revelation (theophany) of a transcendent intelligence Who claims to be the Creator of the universe and all creation and represents ultimate reality.
According to Dale A. Matthews, M.D., in The Faith Factor, "Throughout the millennia...the quest for relief from suffering has characterized the human experience. Modern medical research suggests that we may find relief, not a vaccine or panacea, but real help nonetheless--from another great human quest: the search for ultimate meaning that so often leads to faith in a Divine Being."
Yet, for some the search for truth and meaning falls short of an existential encounter with God, and becomes a travesty--leading only to the philosophical surrogate of the sublime. The idolatry of worshiping a "false god" such as science, nature, or human intellect that manifest the sublime must be acknowledged as a form of agnosticism or atheism.
(Parenthetically, and pragmatically, living as if God did not exist is a de facto "practical atheism"--for the skeptic and believer alike.)
Both faith and reason are essential in the search for truth. And the weight of overwhelming evidence is the measure of its validity. In scientific research, the validity and reliability of instruments or methodologies give credence and credibility to research findings. Similarly, the validity and reliability of credible witnesses to the truth as experiential, existential realities make it difficult to ignore or deny the evidence.
The search for truth and meaning must include the study of semantics and semiotics. Semantics has to do with meanings, and semiotics is the science of signs and symbols expressing those meanings. Any effort to measure meaning involves assessing semantic differentials.
Historically, the human intellectual context for such differences has defined the pursuit of truth.
The dialectics of disciplines necessarily involves investigations into the nature of being (ontology), knowledge (epistemology), and purpose (teleology). Central to these philosophical dialectics are ethics, logic, aesthetics, and metaphysics--taken together representing the totality of rubrics in the search for ultimate truth and meaning. The symbolic significance of this body of knowledge can be called the eclectic accumulation of perceptions and interpretations of the image.
Economist Kenneth Boulding, in his classic work: The Image: Knowledge in Life and Society, elaborates on the meaning of the image in society. One of the greatest contributions Boulding makes to the philosophy and sociology of knowledge is the effort to integrate epistemology (knowledge) and axiology (values).
It can be argued that there is a certain difference between the image or perception of physical objects and the values placed upon them...
However, according to Langer in her seminal work, Philosophy in a New Key, when speaking of the "facts" of science, the language is necessarily highly symbolic: "What is directly observable is only a sign of the 'physical fact'; it requires interpretation to yield scientific propositions. Not simply seeing is believing, but seeing and calculating, seeing and translating. The problem of observation is all but eclipsed by the problem of meaning.
And the triumph of empiricism in science is jeopardized by the surprising truth that our sense-data are primarily symbols.
"A new philosophical theme has been set forth for the new age: an epistemological theme, the comprehension of science. The power of symbolism is its cue, as the finality of sense-data was the cue of a former epoch," says Langer. Such an intellectual shift provides the possibility of a postmodern hermeneutic in the pursuit of truth.
Historically, in the search for meaning--beginning with the self and the idea of being-- philosophers, theologians, mathematicians, and scientists have sought to articulate a coherent theory of truth and reality. Through the ages such hypotheses and postulates have produced some of the following dictums or truisms:
The postmodern paradigm shift from the positivism of modernism to the era of interpretivism radically changes the parameters in the search for truth and meaning. Such a change in mindset (metanoia) allows for a hermeneutic characterized by multi-layered levels of meaning, e.g., "both-and" instead of "either-or" dichotomies or polarities. The change and ambiguity created by this postmodern equivocation challenges the premise upon which Artistotelian logic is based. It questions the authority of reason alone, and opens the door for faith and the reality of a spiritual realm beyond the reach of science.
Science seeks to answer the "how" behind the universe, philosophy the "why," and theology the "who."
In a word, the God Who is there still speaks--a voice from beyond. But the God of the Bible is not just "out there"--the God of biblical revelation is transcendent, immanent, and intimate. Jewish theologian and scholar Abraham Heschel refers to the pathos and feeling of this loving God, Who identifies with all creation--especially man and woman who were created in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Christ embodied in His life and ministry the theology of pathos and ethos of agape love.
John's Gospel declares,
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"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).
The dialectics of disciplines involves both commentary and critique. A creative tension and performance gap exist between theory (orthodoxy) and practice (orthopraxy). Any authentic search for truth and meaning must identify points of agreement (consensus) and difference (contradiction). Postmodernism's penchant for dismantling the intellectual and conceptual framework of 20th century rationalism has resulted in replacing the former with its own specious syllogisms--based on unwarranted assumptions and leading to false conclusions.
Serious theorizing has been reduced to a ludenic sense of playfulness and word games--focusing on hedonic rather than pragmatic values.
Jurgen Habermas, German philosopher and sociologist, is the most prominent and comprehensive critic of philosophical postmodernism, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. In Habermas' The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity, (1987), he confronts postmodernism at the level of society and "communicative action." Habermas argues that postmodernism contradicts itself through self-reference, and notes that postmodernists presuppose concepts they otherwise seek to undermine, e.g., freedom, subjectivity, or creativity.
He views postmodernism as an illicit aestheticization of knowledge and public discourse.
Against this, Habermas seeks to rehabilitate modern reason as a system of procedural rules for achieving consensus and agreement among communicating subjects. Insofar as postmodernism introduces aesthetic playfulness and subversion into science and politics, he resists it in the name of a modernity moving toward completion rather than self-transformation.
According to Wikipedia, Habermas has several main criticisms of postmodernism:
Adding credibility and meaning in the quest for truth is the weight of existential witness and testimony of those who have encountered reality as a lived experience.
For example, the apostle Paul's sermon on Mars Hill, found in Acts 17:22-34:
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you...The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands."
And The First Letter of John, chapter 1, verses 1-4, gives an eyewitness account of firsthand experience:
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life--and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
In the prologue to The Gospel According to John, the apostle proclaims:
"In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-14).
Jesus said..., "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). Christ further declares,..."and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:32).
The polemics of the pursuit of truth involves a dynamic exchange between declarations of veracity and refutations of those truth claims. Dialectics of dialogue elicit responses of pros and cons--a bifurcation of affirmations and denials. Authoritative source credibility adds credence to any assertion of truth. If the source reflects truth or resonates with reality, one might ask, "Says who?" and "So what?"
And the authority of ultimate reality requires a response in the light of overwhelming evidence.
Truth is always on trial. Christ's disciples, Peter and John, were arrested by the Sadducees for teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead (since the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection). Peter and John were put on trial for preaching, healing, and ministering in the name of Jesus. After being commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus, Peter said:
"...we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:18-20).
Truth is light and illumination. And all the world's major religions give light in a world of darkness. All truth is God's truth, whether found in religion, philosophy, or science. A manifestation or shining forth (epiphany) of truth is revealed in the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam whose believers worship God. Jesus (Isa in the Arabic Quran and Yeshua in Hebrew) said to His followers: "I am the Light of the world..." (John 8:12). Christ further said to them: "You are the light of the world..." (Matthew 5:14).
In the final analysis, the metrics of meaning and the quest for truth in a postmodern age are predicated on one's willingness to 'step out in faith.' Knowledge of God and His will are known by existential action--committing to and experiencing the truths of God's Word as lived realities rather than pious platitudes. One knows the truth by doing it. Entering the narrow gate of absolute truth opens up a whole universe of unlimited possibilities.
Scenarios of personal and corporate potentialities include possible, probable, and preferred futures--all based on an understanding of the nature of truth and its ultimate meaning.
What is truth? can perhaps best be answered by those who have experienced the Truth, and are still seeking truths. They have found the Answer but are still looking for answers. Truth is only known through an existential embracing of it. The authentic believer knows the truth by being and doing--not as a spectator, but as a participant in the arena of life. Christ said in John 8:32--"...you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
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President, Managing Director at 4G Energy Service, LLC
5 年Very well stated.