Reflection for the Day

[tirinian]

The Globe's reflection for the day is "Between truth and the search for it, I choose the second." I've seen the sentiment a couple of other times in the last year or so. My reaction is always "If you don't actually want to *find* the truth, you're not a very good searcher-for-it."

Comments

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I don't know the context of the other places you've seen it, but does it make more sense if it's restated as "I'd rather not be told the answer if I can figure it out for myself." ?

[tirinian.livejournal.com]

Heh. When I try to make it make sense with something I do believe, I tend to interpret it as "it is better not to be too confident in your opinions, but to always be looking for better ones." I suspect that difference in our interpretations says something about our different approaches to things. :)

I've mostly only seen it as quotes, so I have to infer what they're actually trying to say, but the thing it seems to me their trying to say is that *searching* has a value of its own, and that value is higher than truth. Your interpretation implies that you do eventually get to the answer, but the way I read the various quotes, they don't think you get to the answer in the end.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Well, in the more philosophical sense of the Search for Truth, I think that there are probably things where you don't really get to the answer. Like "what is the meaning of life?" and "what does being 'good' really mean?". That is, I don't really believe I'll have an answer to those that is really Truth(tm), but thinking or discussing it could be interesting, whereas if someone tells me the answer is 42 and I have to accept it, that doesn't gain me so much.

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

Between truth and the search for the truth, we don't get a choice. We can't access the truth; we only get the search. So it's a goofy sentiment. Apparently the author of the quote was an art historian, which may explain it.

[dpolicar]

Yeah, what he said.

Our choice is between whatever approximation of the truth we've got on the one hand, and the search for better approximations on the other.

Personally, I make different choices under different circumstances, depending on my estimation of the value of a better approximation.

[kelkyag]

Where it isn't possible to know/prove the whole truth, it's better to be searching (and be open to what evidence you find) than to think you know the answer and brush off anything that contradicts it. I'll happily apply that to art, science, religion, ...

[mijven.livejournal.com]

It makes me wonder if the truth is more ... um ... truthful if it wasn't obvious to begin with?

[countertorque.livejournal.com]

I'm completely with you on this one. This quote is goofy. Searching for the truth has lots of value and everyone should do it. Choosing not to have the truth so that you can continue to search for it is goofy.

Unless the author meant that the truth is something horrible and you're better off not knowing it. If the truth is that you get in life what you can take from others and that when you die you're dead, then I'd rather be searching for the truth than knowing it.

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

You want answers?

Hmm...

[bakedweasels.livejournal.com]

Between happiness and the search for happiness, I choose the latter.

Between wealth and the search for wealth, I choose the latter.

Between love and the search for love, I choose the latter.

Between world peace and the search for world peace, I choose the latter.

Yep, it's kind of a dumb template.

Re: Hmm...

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Though, between the best chocolate chip cookie in the world, and the search for the best chocolate chip cookie in the world, I would probably choose the latter. :)