“The Truth” is often very complex, YET facts do exist but not always as we perceive them.
Marilyn Wedge Ph.D. of Suffer the Children wrote on January 23, 2017, in Psychology Today, “Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway told Chuck Todd on Sunday’s Meet the Press (January 22nd) that Spicer was not telling a falsehood when he insisted that Trump’s crowd was larger (than President Obama’s). He was simply giving ‘alternative facts’.” Following the interview, social media exploded with a newly minted meme, ‘#AlternativeFacts.’”[1]
Ms. Wedge continues, “Here’s where we get to the origin of the idea of an ‘alternative fact.’ In 1949, George Orwell authored the novel 1984, which portrays a totalitarian state that limits freedom of thought by creating its own language called ‘Newspeak.’”[2]
Lochlan Morrissey, Research Associate, Griffith University, wrote on October 4, 2017, “In politics, alternative facts exist. And they always have. . . Facts do exist! I am not enough of a postmodernist, nor enough of a nihilist, to claim the opposite. There are certainly things that are true – that the world is not flat, for instance – whose truth is supported by various kinds of evidence. These might be called ‘scientific propositions’, because their truth is verified through certain, standardised methods of collecting and interpreting data, and through the reproduction of experimental tests. . . ‘Political propositions’, which are directly relevant to the governance of people, are designed to appeal to emotions and beliefs, and so cannot be held to the same scrutiny as scientific propositions. Beliefs operate in a similar way to facts, insofar as a belief generally requires some evidence at an individual level. And a belief, like a fact, must still be justified by this evidence. However, where feelings and intuition count as evidence for a belief, these are purposefully scoured from scientific discourse. Contrary to the way hypotheses are tested and reproduced, beliefs are formed with very little recourse. . . While the vehemently ‘rational’ may decry beliefs for this reason, they undeniably exist and affect the way people make decisions. Belief can override evidence obtained by other means precisely because it is more personal and, in a sense, more humanistic than the impartial scientific method.”[3]
On March 3, 2017, the article 10 Fascinating Facts About Alternative Facts was written by Geordie McElroy for LISTVERSE. In it, McElroy writes “Postmodernism is a theory that developed out of linguistics and rapidly spread to almost all arts and sciences. The core concept is that reality cannot be separated from perception. According to Lawrence University’s Peter Peregrine, an example of this is Trump’s inauguration. For someone who had never attended one, it may have been one of the largest crowds they had ever experienced. For a frequenter of inaugurations, the crowd would seem relatively small. According to postmodern theory, both of these are true. Despite observation of the same ‘fact’, bias colors our ‘truth.’”[4]
McElroy continues, “Rather than intelligence or education, it is who we consider ‘authority’ that determines what we believe. On July 25, 2016, the journal Public Understanding of Science published an article revealing that evangelicals and non-evangelicals are not only exposed to different fact sources, they process the information differently. Evangelical Christians place more faith in religious authority for information regarding science and technology than non-evangelicals. Non-evangelicals with more science knowledge place more faith in university professors than evangelicals. Surprisingly, the higher an evangelical’s level of scientific knowledge, the lower they placed trust in university scientists. The ramifications are terrifying. ‘Facts’ cannot connect people. Different groups have fundamentally different systems for developing truth, and until the divergent mechanisms are aligned, consensus is unrealistic. This could be seriously problematic.”[5]
And “problematic” it is, especially if it is as McElroy writes, “The most virulent form of postmodernism is solipsism—the idea that ‘I am the only mind that exists.’ Existence equals ‘my existence.’ Truth means ‘my truth.’ . . . ‘self’ is considered the ultimate authority.”[6]
Have you ever considered how many layers truth has? Me neither! This post, and others to follow, is about my journey of discovery – my research and my findings. I know I have a bias toward certain conclusions, my opinions about “truth,” because I am only human However, I am going to try to move beyond those biases/opinions and peel the onion of truth one layer at a time. Perhaps even enough to find valid modifications to my preconceived notions or an altogether different conclusion.
“‘Alternative facts’ was a phrase used by U.S. Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, during a Meet the Press interview on January 22, 2017, in which she defended White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s false statement about the attendance numbers of Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States. When pressed during the interview with Chuck Todd to explain why Spicer would ‘utter a provable falsehood’, Conway stated that Spicer was giving ‘alternative facts’. Todd responded, ‘Look, alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods.’”[7]
When I heard the term “alternative facts” for the first time, I, like, Chuck Todd was incredulous. I wanted to rewrite the famous line from A League of Their Own where Tom Hanks, as Manager Jimmy Dugan, screams at Bitty Schram, playing Evelyn Gardner the sobbing right-fielder, “There’s no crying in baseball!” to say, “There’s no alternative in facts!” I could just hear Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday offering the iconic TV line “Just the facts, ma’am.” on Dragnet. I wanted to hear a judge scream out, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God!” Then I took a breath, maybe three.
Perhaps as we look at truth as having many layers, we need to reserve harsh judgement and ask ourselves, “How do I know what is true?” As I used the Bible to prepare weekly sermons until July, 2021, I was often reminded that there are others who disagree with my understanding of what is true regarding difficult issues in the Bible. Not wanting to mislead those with whom I had the privilege to serve in a variety of churches, I wanted to believe that what I was saying to them was faithful and as truthful as I could discern. Thus, as early as 1994, my first year in the pulpit, this project started to take form in my heart and mind.
In authoring this project, I thought, “Who cares what I might say or find out about what is true?” Being unsure, I decided to let readers, if any, find tell me my journey is going. In this journey to discern what constitutes truth and what does not, I pray the reader and I will make discoveries that will help us look with more grace on those who disagree with us (often a flaw for me).
I found one who cared and she asked me, “Why ‘truth’ and why now”?
Why truth? Because it is important to me to continue to examine my beliefs about faith and those things happening in our ever more difficult world. I want to hone my understanding and better inform my decisions about engaging with others.
Why now? Is it because I am no longer writing Sunday sermons or doing Bible studies on a regular basis? Is the undiscovered prophet/teacher in me antsy? Does my ego need more stroking? Do I just want to feel useful? I have no answer! But I do know that a part of it is that I want to encourage people to think critically about the information they receive in whatever way it comes at them. I readily admit to myself that I sometimes doubt – myself, my faith, my decisions, and the decisions I see made around me, in all aspects of life. I do not ever want to stop being curious.
I believe that we all, in some way, seek to know what is real and what is not. We know our dreams use only a fragment of what our brains know of reality. But what does our brain ascertain from the things we see, read, and hear while awake? How do we discern reality from fiction? Maybe, if we examine things with more intent, we can do better.
So, are there an absolute, undeniable “truths” which must be acknowledged?
Johnny Cash once said, “I knew Bob Dylan was searching for the truth and had been for years. And anyone who Really wants the truth ends up at Jesus.”[8] As a preacher I might say, “Pray to God for the answers!” But God has never answered my prayers with the lightning and thunder that Elijah heard, but rather by arousing my curiosity to seek answers in the Bible and in life. My old college friend, Dr. John C. Landolt, of Shepherd University, might say, “An absolute, undeniable ‘truth’ is too easy and probably a very esoteric answer.” I learned the word “esoteric” from John in the most unusual place, Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club circa 1964, however, I do not remember finding any esoteric truths there.
Nerds, among others, might point to science and say, “Yes! Anything scientifically proven must be fact, truth.” Having been educated as a scientist at Austin College with a degree majoring in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry, and having spent 25 years in the computer industry, I will look at that assumption in this project. My primary influencer in science was Professor Frank Clark Edwards, PhD, a participant of the Manhattan Project during his time at Iowa State University[9] and one of the best non-professional ping pong players I have ever seen (and I know the truth about college ping pong games). Science has certainly helped explain many questions throughout human history. Mainly because of the human desire “to know!”
Perhaps, the most enigmatic question asked in the Current Era (CE) might be the question Pontius Pilot asked Jesus “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Thus, my intent now is to write a variety of inquisitive studies/essays that seek to answer my modification of Pilate’s question, #AlternativeFacts: What Is True?
Peace through grace, Bro. Ken
[1] Marilyn Wedge Ph.D., The Historical Origin of “Alternative Facts”, Psychology Today, Posted January 23, 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/suffer-the-children/201701/the-historical-origin-alternative-facts
[2] Marilyn Wedge Ph.D., The Historical Origin of “Alternative Facts”
[3] Lochlan Morrissey, Alternative facts do exist: beliefs, lies and politics, The Conversation, Published: October 4, 2017 9.31pm EDT, https://theconversation.com/alternative-facts-do-exist-beliefs-lies-and-politics-84692
[4] Geordie McElroy, 10 Fascinating Facts About Alternative Facts, Listverse, March 3, 2017, https://theconversation.com/alternative-facts-do-exist-beliefs-lies-and-politics-84692
[5] Geordie McElroy, 10 Fascinating Facts About Alternative Facts
[6] Geordie McElroy, 10 Fascinating Facts About Alternative Facts
[7] Blake, Aaron (January 22, 2017). “Kellyanne Conway says Donald Trump’s team has ‘alternative facts.’ Which pretty much says it all”. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
[8] Quote Fancy, https://quotefancy.com/quote/845277/Johnny-Cash-I-knew-Bob-Dylan-was-searching-for-the-truth-and-had-been-for-years
[9] https://acmagazine.austincollege.edu/100-years-of-science/
Bro. Ken Explores . . . 