Truth has had a rough time lately, with post-modernist philosophy pushing the idea that every view and belief that we have is tainted by our selfishness and our belief that we have the truth, and politicians pushing “alternative facts” rather than being willing to agree on whatever reality we can find. It’s true that human beings are prone to bias their views to be what feels good rather than what is most likely to be true, but it’s also true that we can use self-awareness to correct for our biases, if we are willing. We should elect people who are willing to face the truth instead of making up distortions stemming from their biases in order to scare or mislead voters into electing them. I will always tell you the truth to the best of my ability, and I am dedicated to facing reality even when unpleasant.
There is so much willful exaggeration and misleading by politicians that it may be useful to make conscious lying (knowing that you are distorting the truth) and misleading illegal! We can excuse ignorance (though we probably shouldn’t vote for ignorant people), but we should penalize knowingly lying and misleading for personal gain. We have winked and looked the other way about politicians’ (and used care salesmen’s) untruths for so long that we think it is simply normal, but I say we should stop accepting it and create some penalties. If we tolerate it, then we are contributing to their lying and exaggeration.
Find out about issues, so you can think about them usefully.
Question everything others say, so you can get to the truth.
Question everything you think, so you can get closer to reality.
We should all try to get as close to the truth as we can as human beings.
You’ll have the best life possible if your decisions are based on truth.
I’d like to see conscious lying by politicians be made at least a misdemeanor.
Conscious lying to influence others should be illegal!
Even if all you hear are opinions and spin, there is still such a thing as “truth.”
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