The Nature of Truth

[NinaBrooke]

If truths are changing , how would someone classify lies then? Intentional creative ommissions :-). I think truths are not changing. ever. Ethics might change, but truths? I think some of you are confusing morals with truths :-)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth

[discreetgent]

Truth as we know it can certainly change. New information comes to light that illuminates an event that has been misinterpreted for example.

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by I B Hankering

Truth, it seems, is flexible in our modern age; you might even say Orwellian.

Charles,

This is for you. Enjoy!

August 31, 2010
CNN's Ali Velshi looks at the history of Iraq and explains some little known facts about the country.

I happened to be watching CNN last summer when this segment aired. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did you know the Ottoman Empire was ally to the Axis Powers during WWII? Notice where Velshi places Iraq when he says “Illinois” (I didn’t notice this until I replayed this segment).

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/08/31/nr.velshi.iraq.history.cnn?ire f=videosearch

I do not believe Velshi is intentionally distorting history, but I cannot imagine why he, or any of the chattering class, would not be better prepared to give such a lecture on national TV. Unintentional distortions have consequences, e.g., my earlier references to the media’s coverage of the toppling of Hussein’s statute in Baghdad or the Yippie (“police”) riot in Chicago in 1968.

I grimaced while watching this. I shouldn't have surprised me however. When not on the road, I tend to have CNN as "white noise" in the background. Most of their broadcasters (you can't really call them journalists) set my teeth on edge. They say the dumbest things. And throw out the most rhetorical stupid questions. What asses they are. Some of them are worse than others. IMHO, there is one really bad one in the AM (whose name I have suppressed). The second tier of bad ones include Velshi and Wolf Blitzer.

Now, the video cited here. Without doing any fact-checking, I think Velshi is largely wrong on several points. For example, his "size" of Iraq is the same as New York or Illinois???? I'm sorry, I think New York is much larger. (And, I only watched it once, but I think he put Iraq over Wisconsin when he said, "Illinois").

Yes, I cringed.

[NinaBrooke]

Originally Posted by discreetgent

Truth as we know it can certainly change. New information comes to light that illuminates an event that has been misinterpreted for example.

oh true. like DNA evidence on murders :-). or wife finding out husband cheated on her?

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by ninasastri

If truths are changing , how would someone classify lies then? Intentional creative ommissions :-). I think truths are not changing. ever. Ethics might change, but truths? I think some of you are confusing morals with truths :-)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth

Originally Posted by discreetgent

Truth as we know it can certainly change. New information comes to light that illuminates an event that has been misinterpreted for example.

Someone in another thread said that "facts" don't change. And I agree with that. Facts are facts. Such as Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 [edited due to fat fingers]. Now, truths are those things we generally believe which are associated with facts, and are open to some interpretation. Eventually, we may wind up revising history. At the time, common theories were that the assassination was done (orchestrated) by Cuba, or by the CIA, or by the Mafia, or by Communists. There are also theories that there were other gunmen. But I think the prevailing "truth" these days is that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and was not a part of any conspiracy to assassinate the president.

Now, eventually, time may turn up some facts (documents, writings, confessions, etc.) that could revise that history once again.

But the "truth" of the assassination went through several permutations before it wound up where it is right now (which of course, is not universally recognized).

[DFW5Traveler]

LH Oswald was an admited marxist. He said I'm not a communist but I would consider myself a marxist (paraphrased)

[pjorourke]

Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

I grimaced while watching this. I shouldn't have surprised me however. When not on the road, I tend to have CNN as "white noise" in the background. Most of their broadcasters (you can't really call them journalists) set my teeth on edge. They say the dumbest things. And throw out the most rhetorical stupid questions. What asses they are. Some of them are worse than others. IMHO, there is one really bad one in the AM (whose name I have suppressed). The second tier of bad ones include Velshi and Wolf Blitzer.

Aw Chuckie, I do believe you are a closet conservative.