With regard to the disaster that happened above the Ukraine, and the social and political events that are the result of this disaster, I want to ask all of us this basic human question . We see lots of images on TV, hear lots of words from all sides, but do we really know what happened and what is going on?
There are four realms in nature. One could say that there is a silent, resting realm, the mineral one; a silent living one, the vegetable one; a soundful feeling one, the animal realm; and a speaking knowing one, the Homo sapiens.
Sapientia is not only knowledge, it goes further, it means wisdom. In the Bible, in the Old Testament (psalm 111, 10) is said: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.
In human speech this ‘sapientia’ has become confined to knowledge, but in fact the meaning is ‘wisdom’. That would mean that man belongs to a realm that is ‘wise’, or at least could be wise. From this point of view it seems to be self-evident that man is born for the truth. For wisdom can only be true wisdom when it is based on the truth. And so there should be a truth.
Certainly I know that in modern philosophy the concept of truth has changed enormously with regard to the concept of unchanging eternal truth of classic philosophy. But although I call this blog ‘philosophical reflections’, I don’t want to be confined to thinking in modern times. So I take this word ‘sapiens’ as a basis for my reflections about truth.
Furthermore I don’t want this blog to be a religious one, but I feel free to base my reflections on religious texts and images, not only of the Bible, but of all existing religions – knowing that they are the different reflected rays of one radiant sun.
There should be a truth. And man should be able to conceive the truth, not only in science, but also in the events of life – like this disaster above the Ukraine. We don’t simply get this truth. All the information we actually get is not already the truth. With a certain sensitivity we can acknowledge that we are softly moved in a direction by the way of getting the information. We can perceive that we are moved to form an opinion that becomes the public opinion then. As Dutch people we are moved to feel the event in a special way. But do we get the true information, do we develop the truthful feelings? At least we should look at ourselves and put this into question.
The human being as gifted to find wisdom is placed at the top of the four realms of nature. But does this human being unfold this capacity in the highest layer of nature? Or does our thinking descend to lower regions? How do we have to see this thinking of man, moved by the media? Is that still an independent thinking and finding of truth, or springs this thinking in other layers of our existence?
These are questions on which I will try to find answers to in the next blogs.
Dit zijn vragen waarop ik in de komende tijd dieper wil ingaan.
Icon of Sophia from warm St. George church in Vologda (late 16 century)What is truth? by Mieke Mosmuller
