Atheism and Absolute Truth
December 15th, 2009Richard Dawkins argues here that there is an absolute truth. He claims that those who believe in God are deluded. It is interesting that many religious people also adhere to an absolute truth. It just happens to be a different absolute truth to the wholly scientific absolute truth of Richard Dawkins.
Watching Richard Dawkins speaking with such conviction here makes me attracted to the idea of a relative truth, a truth tailored to our own experience and requirements. Richard Dawkins would find such an idea scientifically blasphemous.
The metaphor of an Internet God seems to accommodate both absolute and relative approaches to truth. Richard Dawkins, alongside many religious leaders, would not entertain the idea of a relative truth. In this respect, Richard Dawkins sides with many believers in God and sings from the same hymn sheet!
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Please add your comments and thoughts below.
December 17th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Hey Frank,
Found your blog your Twitter page, which I found from the Twitter list “religious and philosophical” into which you were kind enough to add me.
It’s funny you speak of relative truth as that is precisely what Hinduism points to often. Disclaimer: I am Hindu.
Hinduism says God is both Saguna (with form) and Nirguna (formless). I remember one verse which translates into “God is both existent and non-existent.”
How we see God depends on where we are standing. If we are standing on either side of him and take pictures, he obviously looks different in our pictures. Expecting to come at an image of God which is absolute and looks the same to everyone, is foolish. Nothing in the universe is the same to everyone.
Whether it be Dawkins or a religious fanatic; where they go wrong is in assuming that truth can be absolute. For them, it is always “either this or that”. That is a very childish way of looking at the universe. The world is just not like that.
Happy to find a like-minded blog. I am subscribing and there is nothing you can do to stop me.
December 17th, 2009 at 8:33 am
This is a very helpful addition, Vimoh.
The last thing I would want would be to stop you from subscribing!
Frank
December 17th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Interesting post Vimoh.
Let’s look at a few things you said:
1. “How we see God depends on where we are standing.” – This says everything about where we are standing and nothing about God i.e. God is always the same even if how we see Him differs. How we are SEEING God is changing. God is not changing.
2. “Nothing in the universe is the same to everyone.” “The world is just not like that.” – These seem to me to be absolute statements. Claiming that absolute truth does not exist is making an absolute statement which is a contradiction therefore absolute truth must exist.
Illustration: only one of these two statements can be correct:
Absolute truth exists.
Absolute truth does NOT exist.
The second statement cannot be correct because it contradicts itself. It is an absolute statement about the non-existence of absolutes.
SUMMARY: Relative truth is illogical and therefore contradictory.
Oh, and I know I’m posting 2 years later. I’m posting this more for the people who will stumble upon this page than for the original poster.