Reply
Thu 4 Jan, 2007 05:37 pm
I once, sitting in a lecture at university taught by some so called learned individual, I was intereseted to hear her comment "there is no such thing as truth".
I thought on this for some time and then this thought came to my mind.
If there, as this lecturer was aserting, is no truth how does she knoe that her comment about truth is true?
Well, she told me she never lies.
If there are NO truths, then the statement there is no such thing as truth must be false.
But for it to be false, there must be statements that are true, and if there are true statements, the claim is both false (as it must be in order to remain true to itself) but also wrong, refuted by its self-contained contradiction.
Next:
There are no absolutes.
I think it is true that there are no absolutes (Aside from the fact that everything changes).
It is quite evident, because every time we try to apply absolutes we get paradoxes, as in greyfan's example.
Self-reference is usually a very slippery thing. It can throw the mind into some really dizzying loops, if you let it.
EDIT: I just noticed Greyfan's signature line.
You should ahve debated her right then and there. If what she is saying is true then what she is saying is false!
What a delightful discussion that would be.
I'd say that there is more truth to the statement that 'there is no such thing as truth without modifications'.
This goes to show the inadequacy of grammar. A point JLNobody has illustrated well in several threads.