Today, both sides of the isle take too much as true on their own side and dismiss any point the other side makes off hand. We need a middle ground. We need people who question whatever is said by those in power, and work to verify what people say.
“Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. We believe good men more fully and more readily than others: this is true generally whatever the question is, and absolutely true where exact certainty is impossible and opinions are divided.”
-Aristotle
Individual: The search for truth begins with the question, “why?” In order to grow and learn, we have to seek the answers to questions. We must ask them of ourselves and of others in a search for truth. This is our only guarantee against the narrative of the powerful and of society.
Philosophy: To seek truth, we must question. Socrates taught people how to think by questioning their propositions until their logic broke or they got to the base assumptions with the line of logic in tact.
Society: Our culture and our society could use a questioning mind. We see something we disagree with and don’t analyze it, but call it “fake news.” We see things that we agree with and don’t question it. As we as individuals begin to ask questions and seek proof of assertions and opinions, in search of truth.
