A hammer will strike a nail whether the handle is made of iron or wood. It will fulfill its purpose even though the materials that constitute it as a tool have been upgraded through time. Similarly, Religion, Philosophy, Physics, Chemistry, Math or any other human enquiry that helps us reach a degree of truth do not necessarily change fundamentally. They are merely tools for interpretation subject to improvement and even degeneration. A tool can be upgraded but also render others obsolete. One thing is for certain. The only thing that changes is the way we choose to use these tools to suit our own perception.
Let's take for example Newtonian physics and the way they differ from quantum physics. More or less they are they are based on similar principles, bounded under certain mathematical axioms. They can both make different predictions about the same thing (e.g planetary motion) and still differ vastly in the way they came to draw those very interpretations. Similarly, we use constants to explain the way the world works but those constants are locked within a perspective of unknown-unknowns. Change one slightly and the whole thing falls apart. Where do those constants come from you may ask. Nobody has a clue yet.
Science is not immune to democratic beliefs thus truths are also subjective. Schools of thought in academia do exist and maintain some versions of truth about how the world works. Although it is unlikely for concrete knowledge to be challenged (e.g Evolution) facets of the theory are constantly debated, often reaching entirely different conclusions. For example, we can take the endless debate of Group Selection developed by D.S Wilson vs The Selfish Gene by Dawkins. Both are interpreted from the same evolutionary point of view but differ vastly in their conclusions.
But let's put science aside for a while since these truths don't seem to bother the common folk all that much. Most people that disagree about suspicious matters of enquiry in their life such as about homeopathy, astrology, telepathy and acupuncture don't really examine the critically. In fact most people use the "what if" assumption to establish their own truths about the world, avoiding to take into consideration factors of statistics, logic and falsification that can distill for them a purer version of truth. Don't get me wrong even scientists seem to fall under this trap more often than they should.
We prefer to wrongly equivocate usefulness with truthfulness whether this applies to matters of religion, alternative medicine or psychology. We like to believe that if some people see something as true then it must be so. Even in the academic world that the general public gets their knowledge, there is a general assumption that if a form of study is popular then we must continue endeavoring whether its premises are true or not. String Theory and Gender Studies fall under this spectrum. Alchemy used to be in that realm as well. The search for the perfect material maintained the quest even if people had no idea what they were doing.
Most people are not bothered with scientific truths unless they debate online or have a casual talk at the coffee shop after a brake up or when they get fired. Truths that bother us the most are those who affect our relationships or deal with our well being. Contrary to common belief, we are not build for using logic and developing complicated thoughts. Humans have a brain that is entire purpose is to interpret narratives. We love stories and putting everything around us into a nice meaningful tale seems to be the end game. Logic and critical thinking belong outside the autopiloted realm of our primitive cockpit. We crave meaning in life and this only comes through emotional attachment to specific narratives. Truths? What truths. It is true only when it suits us.
Why on earth would any sane human being be attracted to the idea of chaos, nothingness and decay which is the raw ugly truth? Fantasy, delusions of grandeur and myths create a much more pleasant world. This is why we are so attracted in majestic paintings, elaborate rituals, religious stories, ludicrous Hollywood scenarios or even video games. Truth has no place in any of these realms other than the ones who decide to attach.
The average human being lives in a complete fantasy believing that they hold the absolute truth. The average inhabitant of this planet most likely worships a personal God or Gods, holds as main purpose in life values of love and procreation and performs a job based on a specific education/training much like a programmable robot. The rest of activities are based on cultural stereotypes, vague assumptions, and naive predispositions that stem from these three core beliefs. We use tools of deception and/or illusion like games, expensive cars, make-up, clothing, titles and fancy hats in order to communicate in narratives that are completely made up. Pure love always needs a little make-up. We summon our deity almost exclusively when we are in trouble. We want kids but mainly to see our shortcomings get fulfilled. We lie to ourselves openly and we don't mind a bit. Logic and critical thinking is simply cancer to our elaborate charade.
Is there any Hope?
Humans have been developing their own evolution through mechanical means as of lately. In other words we started creating our fantasies like becoming Gods ourselves. We slowly replace biological parts with mechanical ones. We do desire to be Gods. In others words, we desperately follow our wildest fantasies and dreams and try to make them reality. Don't be fooled with the latest trends of singularity and transhumanism. It is pretty much the same concept as the one of religion even if the supporters claim to be non-believers. We want to live forever and we will do so by transferring our entity into another medium where we can live forever. Same ol' story, different packaging.I don't think biologically-based human beings can get more "enlightened" as long as nature dictates the game. Simply, most people can't afford to take this road. Those who create our technological toys and talk about these issues are the minority, the 0.001% of what we call "weirdos". The rest just play along with the gadgets. Only few know how the most basic tools in their life work. Nonetheless, this never stopped us from building the entire meaning of our life around them. For any self respecting individual this should be a terrifying thought.
The movie Idiocracy got it right. Technology and innovation make people think less and less about the workings of the world due to the fact that so few people contribute to the process. The vast majority simply enjoys the ride through personalized narratives of relative truth. "Share your lie and I will share mine" seems to be the way to go.
There is a way out around this conundrum. If and when we reach the point upon which we become mechanical and or be able to transfer our minds into machines, then narratives of religion and family will go extinct and along with them the default programming of mother nature that fixates us into an illusionary spiral. The other hope is virtual reality. If people can experience their dreams in other worlds similar to ours then perhaps we will venture beyond this limited perception of the world. There can't be any absolute truths but that doesn't mean we need to live in the same perpetual lies.
