trc@houti.UUCP (06/27/83)
What is TRUE, and what is FALSE? Reality is the basis for the answer to this question. It is neither true nor false - it simply IS. Concepts are true if they are consistent with reality, and false if they contradict it. Human nature is that which all humans have in common. All humans are alive, and by definition of what it is to be human, have the ability to be rational (rationality). As I have previously posted, one's own human life is the source of individual values. This means that there are some things which it is all right for one person to do, but not all right for another. However, since there are some things that all humans have in common, there is a basis for a common human morality. Rights and the implicit prohibition against their violation is one example. There is also at least a general ordering, or scale of values. An airplane is generally more valuable than a crowbar, though in a particular situation it is possible for a crowbar to be more valuable. This is not relativism, but simply a refusal to drop the local context while keeping in mind the ultimate context of the universe. To get back to TRUE vs FALSE, if one accepts that which is false, one will attempt to act in contradiction to reality. Such an action has its own penalty, generally. If one accepts the falsehood that it is possible for a human to walk on air, one will pay the price when one attempts to walk off a cliff. In this sense, there is an absolute value system - reality - to be obeyed. The interaction of a human with reality can be quite complex, but eventually, all actions must accord with reality. Any attempt to evade this knowledge, and "get away" with doing something will likely be punished, either physically, or mentally by dis-satisfaction with one's life. A thief evades the reality that someone had to produce (and has a right to) that which was stolen. Such actions arouse anger in others, leading to his punishment. If the thief is not caught, he will suffer with guilt and/or paranoia. Tom Craver houti!trc