Can’t argue with Sowell… he’s right, right?
As usual!
But there’s problem!
For me, at least…
According to Orwell, there are people who refuse to acknowledge the truth.
Which doesn’t bother the truth, of course.
But it bothers us…
If there are people who refuse to acknowledge the truth, then truth isn’t self evident.
There isn’t an immediate and direct ‘relation’ between not acknowledging the truth and ‘retribution’.
And for good reason!
Truth is extremely elusive. And complex.
Impossible to find, actually.
All we can lay our hands on is ‘relative’ truth.
A truth we have all labored to find and which continues to remain ‘incomplete’. Against our best efforts!
And which, from time to time, is found to be completely false.
Remember how so many of our ancestors were convinced that the Sun was circling around the Earth?
Which Earth used to be flat?
Which Flat Earth brings us back to Sowell.
I basically agree with him.
“If you want to help somebody, tell them the truth. If you want to help yourself, tell them what they want to hear…”
But do I know what the truth of the matter really is?
Do I actually know what they really want to hear?
And what if/when they find out? My strategy?
That I was telling them what they wanted to hear in order to help myself?
Sowell didn’t mean this as an ‘advice’?
Only as a warning?
Well, I don’t dispute his intentions.
Only the underlining assumption.
That truth is accessible.
That we can reach it! And manipulate it according to our wishes….
nicichiarasa 