Did You Choose Your Truth?

[Ponder This]

In another thread, it was suggested the people choose their truth. Choice implies that can select other options.

Are your truths a result of choice?

Did you choose your worldview, your core values, or what you believe? Can you just flip a switch and change your worldview, core values, or beliefs?

Discuss.

If we're talking about a "world view", then it is the accumulation of many choices rather than the outcome of a single choice.

Posit:
These subjective assumptions and perceptions of reality are malleable interdependent affirmations, which arise to a state of coherence by surpassing a threshold of ideation.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

I’ve tried to point this out in other threads. Reality checks give you choice. They signal to you that you are not yet aligned with ultimate reality. Most people deny the reality check and so they pretend like there was no choice.

Since reality checks are essential to truth seeking, whoever values truth will take action in order to not deny and forget their reality checks. Rather than be seduced back to their comfort zone, they will cling to the pain associated with the reality check.

Anyone can say they are a truth seeker, but it is determined by the sacrifices you’re willing to make.

 

[McBell]

We can either go with either fundamental reality or whatever you consider to be truth.

The former.
And I do get any choice in the matter.

As the saying goes "It Is What It Is"

 

[URAVIP2ME]

................................. Anyone can say they are a truth seeker, but it is determined by the sacrifices you’re willing to make.

Seems to me that Jesus was a 'truth seeker' claiming that Scripture is: religious truth - John 17:17
In Scripture Jesus was definitely determined by the un-selfish sacrifices he was willing to make. - John 15:12; 13:34-35

 

[Quintessence]

In the sense that one might wholly reject the concept of free will and be a hard determinist, no - nobody "chooses" anything.

In the sense that one might recognize humans necessarily operate under the illusion of having choice, yes - it is not that difficult to "choose" from a rather large number of things.

 

[MikeF]

In another thread, it was suggested the people choose their truth. Choice implies that can select other options.

Are your truths a result of choice?

Did you choose your worldview, your core values, or what you believe? Can you just flip a switch and change your worldview, core values, or beliefs?

Discuss.

In terms of subjective preferences, sure, I choose what is true or preferred to me. Granted my subjective choices are certainly influenced by lots of factors such as biology, culture, and personal experiences. I see the the concept of a worldview as falling under the category of subjective preference.

I can also change my mind regarding these choices. For example, as a young adult I was in favor of capital punishment for certain offenses. I am no longer in favor of capital punishment having changed my mind over 20 years ago.

In regards to objectively true things, I do not get to choose whether they are true or not. Of course here the issue comes down to how one knows or verifies that something is objectively true. Outside of the easy stuff that has overwhelming confirmation, it comes down to holding things as likely or unlikely, with varying degrees of confidence. Of things held with confidence, that confidence can increase or decrease as new information becomes available.

 

[Trailblazer]

In another thread, it was suggested the people choose their truth. Choice implies that can select other options.

In reference to truth about God, whether one is religious or not, I think that people choose what they believe is the truth.
I don't think they can choose another option unless they realize that their belief is not the truth, either because they found another religion or God belief, or because they came to believe that there is no God.

Are your truths a result of choice?

Did you choose your worldview, your core values, or what you believe? Can you just flip a switch and change your worldview, core values, or beliefs?

Yes, what I believe is the truth about God was a choice, but I believe God was involved in that choice.
No, I cannot just flip a switch and change my mind about what I believe, not unless something happens that causes me to change my belief.
My worldview and core values are derived from my religious beliefs, so I could not change those unless I changed my religious beliefs.

This is kind of related to a thread I started not long ago:

Can we change our mind about what we believe?

Can we change our mind about what we believe? @PureX said that one CAN change their mind, but they won't because they don't want to deny their current understanding of 'what is'. #523 I disagree. One CAN change their mind, and they sometimes do, if they get new information that causes them to...

www.religiousforums.com

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I just sort of drifted to where I am.

 

[LuisDantas]

In another thread, it was suggested the people choose their truth. Choice implies that can select other options.

Are your truths a result of choice?

Did you choose your worldview, your core values, or what you believe? Can you just flip a switch and change your worldview, core values, or beliefs?

Discuss.

I don't think that I did.

I have vague recollections of trying real hard to, at a hideous emotional price.

It just doesn't work.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The former.
And I do get any choice in the matter.

As the saying goes "It Is What It Is"

Did you mean "don't" or omit "not" in the second sentence?

The second and third sentences appear to be contradictory.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I can also change my mind regarding these choices. For example, as a young adult I was in favor of capital punishment for certain offenses. I am no longer in favor of capital punishment having changed my mind over 20 years ago.

So at this point, you can choose to be in favor of capital punishment...say...this afternoon if you wanted to?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Yes, what I believe is the truth about God was a choice, but I believe God was involved in that choice.
No, I cannot just flip a switch and change my mind about what I believe, not unless something happens that causes me to change my belief.

If you can't just flip a switch and change your mind, are your beliefs really a choice, then? If you can just abandon your current beliefs to believe in something else, what choice do you have?

My worldview and core values are derived from my religious beliefs, so I could not change those unless I changed my religious beliefs.

This is where I differ. My worldview and core values are inherent to my very being. Though raised Catholic, I could not choose to be Catholic, even when I was a child, I tried to be. It just conflicted with my core values. After dabbling in other religions and theistic positions, I can honestly say my religious beliefs are derived from my worldview and core values.

 

[McBell]

Did you mean "don't" or omit "not" in the second sentence?

The second and third sentences appear to be contradictory.

I do mean "do not"
Sorry about that.
Sometimes my mind goes faster than my fingers....
Doesn't happen very often.
But it does happen.

 

[PureX]

I don't think that I did.

I have vague recollections of trying real hard to, at a hideous emotional price.

It just doesn't work.

Once we finally accept the fact that we do not know the truth, we can then choose from among the various options, and change it at any time. But then it stops being a ‘belief’ and becomes a matter of faith.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Once we finally accept the fact that we do not know the truth, we can then choose from among the various options, and change it at any time. But then it stops being a ‘belief’ and becomes an act of faith.

Again with the "we."

Must you always speak for others? It's disrespectful to assume that your "fact" is everyone else's. You have had your own experiences, not mine or anyone else's. Please stop trying to project your experiences onto others.

 

[PureX]

Again with the "we."

Must you always speak for others? It's disrespectful to assume that your "fact" is everyone else's. You have had your own experiences, not mine or anyone else's. Please stop trying to project your experiences onto others.

You really need to get over this, dude. We just means we. There is a we. And it includes you. You are not terminally unique. You are just like the rest of us in a great many respects, and we all know it.

 

[Mock Turtle]

In another thread, it was suggested the people choose their truth. Choice implies that can select other options.

Are your truths a result of choice?

Did you choose your worldview, your core values, or what you believe? Can you just flip a switch and change your worldview, core values, or beliefs?

Discuss.

Whatever I tend to believe probably comes about from the Sherlock Holmes approach - as to eliminating the impossible and being left with what remains, however improbable. With the impossible usually being so many religious texts describing beliefs that I cannot subscribe to, especially when the provenance is lacking, they often promote discrimination or tend to divide us, or because there are so many of them and which tend to fill the spectrum for such beliefs - which then might indicate a human origin for such.

And although science often is mistaken as to being an accurate representation of truth, it does tend to have a better track record for reflecting truth than anything else, so a good understanding of science is a better base for understanding everything else than any religious belief is to my mind. Not that there might be some things that science simply cannot describe - at the present and possibly into the future - but we live in the world we inhabit, not some imaginary one.

So essentially, it would be rather difficult to change how I tend to think and believe, and especially so given the 'have faith' approach advocated by many - as long as it is their belief to which one must subscribe.

Also, given that most of my views seem less likely to be discriminately than so many others, changing them would seem to imply negatives as to changing values - freedoms, morality, and responsibilities, for example - and hence why I am reasonably comfortable with these. Apart from politics perhaps, given that I don't know what could replace democracy and be better.

 

[SalixIncendium]

You really need to get over this, dude.

No, I don't. And you don't know me, so please don't presume to speak for what I need.

You need me to get over it so you can go about your presumptive and disrespectful statements unchallenged. Sorry, but that won't happen.

We just means we. There is a we. And it includes you.

If you are speaking with regard to being of the same species, yes, we share this commonality. Beyond that, each person's character and experience is unique.

You are not terminally unique. You are just like the rest of us in a great many respects, and we all know it.

Beyond the biology, each person is unique based on their experiences and their environment, not just me, but everyone.

If you and others here were not unique, why would anyone be here expressing differing perspectives on reality?

 

[PureX]

No, I don't. And you don't know me, so please don't presume to speak for what I need.

I know you need to get over this because you keep chasing me around and whining about it.

You need me to get over it so you can go about your presumptive and disrespectful statements unchallenged. Sorry, but that won't happen.


If you are speaking with regard to being of the same species, yes, we share this commonality. Beyond that, each person's character and experience is unique.

No, we really aren’t. We are all very similar in character as well.

Beyond the biology, each person is unique based on their experiences and their environment, not just me, but everyone.

Nope. We all share a whole lot of the same experiences, and we‘re shaped in much the same ways because of it.

If you and others here were not unique, why would anyone be here expressing differing perspectives on reality?

We are all similarly unique.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I know you need to get over this because you keep chasing me around and whining about it.

Stop including me in your generalizations about people and I'll gladly stop "whining." But as long as you continue to speak on my behalf, I'll continue "chasing [you] around."

No, we really aren’t. We are all very similar in character as well.

In what ways?

Nope. We all share a whole lot of the same experiences, and we‘re shaped in much the same ways because of it.

Name some experiences you and I have shared.

We are all similarly unique.

How superficially profound.