Truth? Or Consensus...

This semester I’m taking my first philosophy class; Environmental Ethics.  I’ve never taken a philosophy class before, and it’s becoming more and more evident that I have no idea what the subject is actually about.  Anyway, I really like it.  Other than the fact that nothing can be proven, so implications for environmental ethics will never be applied, so there’s really no point to all this arguing,* I enjoy the discussion.  We’ve been discussing value in nature, if it exists and what kind of value it is.  I thought this was a pretty straightforward question when it first came up, with a pretty straightforward answer.  I was wrong.  I’m not going to get into all that mumbo-jumbo here, I already had to write an essay on it, but if you’re interested check out the works of Paul Taylor, Peter Singer, William Baxter, and Immanuel Kant. 

So the point of this post: consensus has very little to do with the truth.  Think about that for a moment.  IT’S SO TRUE!!!  All too often we do things because others do them, say things because others say them, and believe things because others believe them.  However how often are these things actual truth?  It’s so easy to look back in history and see where we have been wrong; to see where we have believed one thing then later refuted it as false and taken on a new belief.  Scientific knowledge and evidence have led us to specific rational conclusions in one generation that are overturned in the next due to additional scientific discovery, new evidence, and deeper reflection.  Consensus is not an indicator of truth.  From the 1500’s geocentric belief of earth as the center of the universe prior to Galileo’s shattering discoveries of heliocentricism, to the incompatibility between the 2000’s creationist view of earth’s origins and evolutionary theory – consensus versus truth is hardly relevant at all. 

This is great!  It’s not great that people believe things that are false.  It’s great that we know and can think critically to develop our own views and beliefs.  It’s great because you don’t have to fit in with the crowd.  You can be right and the only one who knows it.  Now I’m not saying this is correct for everything.  There are definitely things that I am very wrong about, however there are things I may be right about too, even though the vast majority may disagree with me. 

Another valid point is that each and every person sees the world through his or her own lens.  Perspective differs for each individual and this experience/perspective is very real.  My perspective is not the same as yours, and truths are generally influenced by perspective.

C.S. Lewis sums up this idea in a line taken from the Chronicles of Narnia. 

“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.” – C.S. Lewis

Lewis embodies perspective as a result of both situation and background.  My upbringing, culture, economic status, and religion affect my perspective just as much as my physical location. 

Disagreement, opposition, and varying views are critical elements for a successful society.  It challenges us and pushes us to find what is right.  It keeps us on our toes.

*I realize this may seem a little pessimistic, and it is.  I respect this subject because it makes people think, it gets the conversation going, so that change may someday ensue.  In degrees we may eventually make significant progress towards becoming a just society, but for the time being, chances are looking pretty slim to me.