Foundational Values: The Importance of Truth
How knowledge and understanding help us think with complexity and engage with civility.
Greetings, Readers!
You have had an introduction to how and why this publication was born, and hopefully your interest is piqued to dig deeper. Like you, we are eager to get to the fun stuff—music, art, literature, and the like. However, it’s important to first lay the foundation of the values that undergird Think on These Things, so that we have a shared framework as we traverse the course ahead.
Thus, the first type of sophisticated content that we deposit today is the value of Truth.
Fundamentally, we hold to the idea that there are things that can and should be known. Acquiring knowledge equips us to decipher what is true or false. The goal is to foster a community of learners and thinkers who operate from a place of accurate and complete information about any given situation, subject, issue, or statement.*
Further, truth keeps us in check to maintain humility and civility when we are otherwise tempted to succumb to the “siren song” of our echo chambers. These chambers produce arrogance, provoke fear, and position enemies—leading to the inevitable “shipwreck” of division.** Truth, however, demands honesty and builds common ground. It must be our starting point if we are to productively engage in meaningful discussion. Yes, we still leave room for the nuance of personal experience and perspective (even perception). But we cannot circumvent or ignore what is consistent with reality. Lest we find ourselves lured into the cliffs of further division, we must remain tethered to what is true.
Finally—and this is why CivicSophisticate came to be—it is the responsibility of thoughtful, engaged citizens to seek out the truth and hold one another to that standard. As we delve into content, we will point this community toward knowledge and context. Knowledge comes first; but context follows closely behind as the lens through which we fully understand an accurate picture of a given story or situation. This task is both daunting and exhilarating; daunting in that there is much to learn, but exhilarating in that we can start wherever we are today and know more tomorrow. What an incredible opportunity we have at our fingertips.
No doubt, truth is the harder and slower path. In Robert Frost’s familiar words, it is “the road less travelled” amidst the current climate in our society.
But let that not deter us! It is worth taking the time and effort to find and wrestle with the truth. This is foundational to CivicSophisticate’s mission, and it is imperative to raising the bar for how we think and engage in our shared communities.
Therefore, let us tether ourselves to the strong foundation of truth and move forward with courage and commitment.
*We, of course, acknowledge that there are some who do not subscribe to the fundamental claim that truth can be known; however, the reality is that their words and actions support it at every turn—the very claim that truth cannot be known is, itself, a definitive truth statement. Thus, we will not spend our time delving into this notion today, except to say that it may serve as a future topic of debate as needed. If this is you, you are welcome here! Stick around for a while and see what we’re all about.
**For those who have not read Homer’s Odyssey, this references the classic example of tying oneself to the ship mast in order to withstand the irresistible Siren song that leads to shipwreck.
Think on These Things publishes new content every other Friday. Our introductory series of articles will lay the foundation for what is ahead, so be sure to stick around to get a full understanding of our vision. We are hard at work curating some fabulous tastes of music, art, literature, and more to roll out in the coming months!
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