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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: jlallen who wrote (11573)4/16/2001 5:53:46 PM
From: one_less  Read Replies (1) of 82486
 
"How do we agree if we can never know the truth of anything?" We can agree on principle and on our interpretation of observable behavior and phenomena. We make agreements on many levels. We some times let criminals out of prison if we believe that we have thier agreement to behave according to some standard set by society. It doesn't necessarily mean that they think the standard is a good one. We have performance agreements that thread themselves through all aspects of life. We use the word truth to represent things that can be observed as well as to represent the essential essence of things which can only be known by belief systems or through speculation.

We can define a standard that is observable and measurable. We can observe and measure behavior against that standard. We can declare as evidence the extent to which the standard was met. It is tricky though as our observations and determinations do not always stand up to the test of time.

We can know that we are hungry and we can agree to do something about it. Like, go to the pizza parlor on the corner and eat a peparoni pizza. Can we measure whether or not that standard was met? Yes we can. Can we measure whether or not the experience was satisfying? Yes, to a degree, but we might find less agreement in the latter. Over time you may decide that peparoni is a bad thing and change your determinations on that event.

"How do we know these things if we can know the truth about nothing?" I know the truth about lots of things. When it comes to what I see in the world, however, I always leave room for doubting my senses.
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