G.K. Chesterton famous noted that a heresy was not so much an untruth, but an exaggerated truth.
I wish to make another twist to that observation and argue that overall an exaggerated truth is far more dangerous than an untruth. Why is that so? With an untruth, you can just reply to it with the truth - plain and simple.
With an exaggerated truth, however, one must first concede to the fact that is indeed true on some level, but just not true in the right proportions. To which then one is obligated to present what exactly is the truth in rightful proportions. This can become a very messy business if one does not tread carefully.
Today we are constantly bombarbed with all sorts of abstract concepts like "equality", "freedom", "diversity", "humanity", "choice", and so on. Not that there is anything wrong with these concepts per se, but they must be addressed on a more reasonable concrete level, which among other things means acknowledging their limits. Only then do they have any significant meaning at all.
There's this delusion that the more a truth is exaggerated, the more it becomes true. "More is better!" as the saying goes.
A simple journey into the realm of common sense shows this is not so. Sure, drinking beer can be a rather lively experience; but drinking too much will cause severe health problems or even death!
Sugar is indeed sweet, but too much of it rots your teeth.
Just some random food for thought.
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2 comments:
We often think of the intellectual problem as being able to distinguish truth from error. But in fact, that is the trivial problem. The real difficulty lies in separating the lesser truth from the greater, from keeping the small truth from displacing all other truths.
Everybody starts their thinking with something they take to be true; generally, they are correct, since in the matter of little truths, we all have some skill. But the trick is not to stop with the small truth, and especially not to reduce all truths to our little truth. Rather, the great mind arranges all the truths in their proper hierarchy, because in truth, truth is always hierarchical; one truth is always subordinate to another, and all truths to subordinate the the one who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
Communists have a truth, as do libertarians; Republicans have one, as do monarchists; modernists have one, as do tradtionalists. The great trick is to put all of these truths in the proper order.
That's another interesting point to make on this issue John, thanks for sharing and welcome.
I can assure the readers here that this will not be the first time I'll be addressing this issue.
My writing style is often aphoristic in style.
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