RuneScape Forum Archive | The Importance of Truth

Feb

2017

Blasty

Posts: 9,319 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Hi there

I thought it would be interesting to have a thread in HLF to discuss the importance of truth. This includes the truth of all kinds of statements, from mathematical claims, to claims based on archaeological evidence, to claims about your best friend's favourite brand of smartphone.

Here are some questions I hope will be interesting to discuss:
- How important do you think is the truth?
- How do you determine if something is "true"?
- Generally, why do people lie?

On receiving information:
- How much of the information you hear and see would you consider to be truthful?
- If you are exposed to misinformation, how do you handle it?
- How do you know that what you believe to be misinformation is in fact misinformation?

On conveying information:
- How much of the information you write and say would you consider to be truthful?
- If not all of the information you write and say is truthful, why is that the case?
- How do you know that the person you're communicating with is not misunderstanding you?

Some questions about discussing truth:
- Is it actually possible to communicate a message without any misunderstandings?
- If someone has a strong belief in something that contradicts with your strong belief, how would you normally resolve the situation?
- Are there any statements you find that everyone agrees is true?

Some questions on reliability of sources:
- What are the main sources that you rely on? Are they 100% reliable?
- How do you determine if a source can be trusted?
- Are there any sources of information that everyone agrees on?

Looking forward to reading your responses

Blasty

// @BlastytheBlue // Blasty#5167

| Co-owner of Mine Nation

29-Nov-2016 13:26:31 - Last edited on 29-Nov-2016 13:56:38 by Blasty

Aug

2023

Singularity

Posts: 97,457 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Blasty said :
- How important do you think is the truth?

Depends. If it's something that could potentially have bad consequences, then "the truth" is important. In cases where lying can actually protect you, then the truth isn't all that important. It really depends on the scenario. Sometimes the truth does more harm than good, and lying is the best cause of action. Tricky question I'd say. There's no "right" answer I guess.

Blasty said :
- How do you determine if something is "true"?

If there's substantial evidence to support a claim, I can safely call it "truthful". However, I still tend to question stuff and look on multiple sources before coming to a conclusion. If multiple sources report the same thing, then it gives me a bit more confidence that whatever is being said is true. But again, how do you really know unless you see the evidence yourself with your own eyes (aka actually be there to witness it)? I take the "question everything!" approach.

Blasty said :
Generally, why do people lie?

Either to protect themselves or someone they know. Sometimes just for the fun of it. Lying is seen as bad, but in some cases, it can actually be acceptable, especially if it protects you or someone you know. Being truthful 24/7 isn't always good and can have disastrous consequences.

Will answer the others soon. .

29-Nov-2016 14:56:28

Aug

2023

Singularity

Posts: 97,457 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Blasty said :
How much of the information you hear and see would you consider to be truthful?

Not sure about that. If by see, you mean the news, well I don't believe everything they say. They twist things for their own benefit and are known to over-exaggerate at times. The news thrives on negativity - if the world was all-positive, then what purpose would they have? They only exist because there's always something bad to report. They never tell us about the wonders of the world because who wants to hear that? They make the world seem as gloomy as possible because I guess that's their job.

I take in information and always welcome it, but I guess most of it can have a big question mark thrown over it. Idk.

Blasty said :
If you are exposed to misinformation, how do you handle it?

I just ignore it. It's a case of "oh well, that's false. No biggie". It may make me question the source and doubt it in the future though. If it manages to give false information, it makes you wonder what else may be misinformation.

Blasty said :
How do you know that what you believe to be misinformation is in fact misinformation?

I don't. It's one of those things. I just have to accept both sides if there are two sides to a piece of information. The Internet is an information machine, and most of the information put out can be questioned and to the readers, all they can do is either believe or not believe what was said.

Blasty said :
How much of the information you write and say would you consider to be truthful?

Unless the information is touching on personal levels, I'd consider it to be truthful. Information I write (i.e. if I'm helping someone with a tech problem) is gathered from "reliable" sources. Of course I don't know "know", I just think the information at the time is truthful. .

29-Nov-2016 15:31:33

Aug

2023

Singularity

Posts: 97,457 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Blasty said :
- If not all of the information you write and say is truthful, why is that the case?

In both RL and online, you have to be careful with some of the information you give. I'd like to think I'm careful when it comes to personal stuff. You want to keep some things hidden and not spray information everywhere in the name of being 100% truthful because it can come back and bite you hard (and you don't want that).

I'm only truthful on a personal level to those that have proven they won't use any personal information against me later down the line. Of course, I don't know "know" that they won't one day turn and reveal all, but I at least think I can trust them.

Blasty said :
How do you know that the person you're communicating with is not misunderstanding you?

If someone is not understanding you, usually they'd keep asking the same questions or get aggressive because they've misunderstood what you've said. If the person is seemingly understanding what you're trying to get across, usually you wouldn't notice any negatives and the convo just flows normally. They could be pretending, but you don't really have a way of knowing unless you enter their mind and find that out.

Blasty said :
Is it actually possible to communicate a message without any misunderstandings?

If the message is reaching a lot of people, then probably not as everyone thinks differently - someone out there is bound to misunderstand the message. If the message is relayed to a smaller group of people, the amount of misunderstandings should drop.

Blasty said :
If someone has a strong belief in something that contradicts with your strong belief, how would you normally resolve the situation?

By not arguing against it. If two people have opposing strong beliefs, you're never quite going to come to a resolution. .

29-Nov-2016 15:40:47

Aug

2023

Singularity

Posts: 97,457 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Blasty said :
- Are there any statements you find that everyone agrees is true?

None I can think of. People will choose to not to believe in something even if the evidence is right in front of them.

Blasty said :
What are the main sources that you rely on? Are they 100% reliable?

I don't really have specific sources. If I want to find something out, I'll usually Google it and then check numerous sites to see what's being said. If similar is being reported, then I can be more confident in the validity of a claim.

Blasty said :
How do you determine if a source can be trusted?

By the evidence they provide usually. Sources that just claim things without backing it up with evidence aren't ones I can part some trust in.

Blasty said :
Are there any sources of information that everyone agrees on?

No clue. To me, it doesn't seem like there's anything out there that simply every person can agree on. We love to constantly argue and prove we're right@

Looks like I'm done. .

29-Nov-2016 15:47:05

Squallsy

Posts: 16,089 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

How important do you think is the truth?

i think the truth is subjectively useful, i dont really believe that its important in all situations, i will either give someone a misdirective answer or straight up lie to them about the actions or beliefes of dead people to make them happier, but theres other situations, its just the simpelst to say

How do you determine if something is "true"?

i would say that people accept what they want to hear as the 'truth'
i would however also say that what is and isnt true is subjective, i do not think its as simple as something is or isnt true in all situations

Generally, why do people lie?

weather it be to copy there parents, a compulsion, to save somebodys feelings, i do not think there is one specific reason that people lie

in regards to this set of questions i think there is an incredibly amount of grey, humans arent simple enough to quantify in 100%

On receiving information:
How much of the information you hear and see would you consider to be truthful?

it depends on who im talking to and whos version of truth we are talking about, heres one that comes up a lot with my best friend
'how are you feeling?'
'i am fine'
'you are lying'
'no, i am just how i define fine'
'then how you define fine is wrong'
does this mean they are lying or are they just using a differnet type of truth to me? think a better question would be 'how often do you think people are honest with you?' and i would say about 30% of the time, but this is based on how i think honesty and truth are defined in regards to me

If you are exposed to misinformation, how do you handle it?

it depends on the other information available, i have been exposed to misinformation before, its nothing new, but theres no reason to get upset by it, in a lot of cases this can actually be the goal, to cause a reaction or make somebody upset, why give them it?

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Mod baiting for shame Squallsy... Have a nice day ~~~Tranq

29-Nov-2016 16:02:08

Squallsy

Posts: 16,089 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

How do you know that what you believe to be misinformation is in fact misinformation?

it doesnt connect or make sense with other information that i have, the person or source is what i do not define as 'trustworthy', i think this brings up some very fun points about theorycrafting on things like anime and such, but if its irl i tend to gauge and read reactions as to weather information is false, the best kind of misinformation is that told by one who believes it with tethers of truth upon it

On conveying information:
How much of the information you write and say would you consider to be truthful?

if you are saying about history? all of it, the victor writes the 'truth', thats all that matters, i am not going to question it, a better question is how much of what you write would be considered 'factual' and thats something like 38%, but theres no way i can verify that so is this line really true?

If not all of the information you write and say is truthful, why is that the case?

theres a few reasons so here they are, but do keep in mind this in regards to 'writing' not 'social situations' or other such comparative notions, because i define 'writing' differently to how i define 'typing to somebody'

1) I was provided misinformation(in this case the information could be 'technically true' because it has yet to be proven wrong)
2) the truth was not relevant to the writing i was performing
3) I write fictional romance
4) its personally about me, in which case i may write something that sounds better to provide the reader with information they want to hear to give them hope rather then real information that may be otherwise depressing

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Mod baiting for shame Squallsy... Have a nice day ~~~Tranq

29-Nov-2016 16:02:27 - Last edited on 29-Nov-2016 16:11:52 by Squallsy

Squallsy

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How do you know that the person you're communicating with is not misunderstanding you?

this is quite a common issue, I use a lot of inflections, dual meanings, derived sentences and words that are not common, I tend to have to ask my best friend a lot if she understands what I mean because argueing over misunderstandings are common, definitions of words are varying across countries

I personally find it incredibly hard to KISS because I feel like I am treating grown people who I highly respect like children, but when I speak the way I am used to they are offended because they think i am making fun of them, this is incredibly frustrating to me

Some questions about discussing truth:
Is it actually possible to communicate a message without any misunderstandings?

yes, but this is dependent upon how well people know eachother, I can communicate specific things, I know some people to which I can communicate everything I want to do with out even as much as a look, you just 'click' and things work perfectly
I however know others that no matter what i say it will always go down hill, this tend to be literal people mostly since in a lot of ways i will not speak in such direct terms as they would like, i suppose i am what some people would consider 'evasive' or 'slimey' in the way i talk

If someone has a strong belief in something that contradicts with your strong belief, how would you normally resolve the situation?

it depends on the subject, but everyone is welcome to there opinion, im not going to blow somebody up because they believe in god, thats there choice and if that makes it easier to live there life then i honestly dont mind, as am example I would happily date a christian if they could accept that i am not one

Are there any statements you find that everyone agrees is true?

America is a shit country /s
no, no there is nothing like this

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29-Nov-2016 16:02:33 - Last edited on 29-Nov-2016 16:21:13 by Squallsy

Squallsy

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Some questions on reliability of sources:
What are the main sources that you rely on? Are they 100% reliable?

I dont 'rely' on any specific source, though if i was to choose any source id be crediting most for information it would be books, the feeling of a page running across my hand makes me feel more secure then the spraying white of a wiki page, but are they 100% reliable? nothing is, theres no 100%s in anything

How do you determine if a source can be trusted?

define 'trusted' then i can answer this question, but until then I will just say what i believe other people think, 'its highly accepted as a reputable source of information' so in short, people accept it because its popular, go figure coming from a pack animal

Are there any sources of information that everyone agrees on?

no, there is no absolutes

~Notes on the thread idea as a whole

A lot of this is subjective on personal experience, personal opinions, world views, where you were raised, how you were raised, what kind of education you received(or didn't)

I think you should reword some of your questions if you want a more 'specific' answer you wont get one from me, 'truth' is an incredibly subjective term, another example of a word that i find subjective is respect

what is respect to you as an individual?
there is probably less then 4 people in this world, 3 that are alive that i respect, respect to me is a feeling that is similar to love but has a different connotation

do you respect peoples rights to things or choices?
No i dont respect people in this sense because respect means something else to me, i call this being a decent fucking human being

this is why I changed some of your questions to reply to them to give you the kind of answer i think you are after if this makes sense? different definitions change how the answer of a question, this is why i gave information but did not directly answer some questions!

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29-Nov-2016 16:14:32 - Last edited on 29-Nov-2016 16:34:14 by Squallsy

Squallsy

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as i ran out of characters once again

if you wanted me to answer any of the questions from a different angle then i chose to, like if you wanted it from an information instead of a personal standpoint i dont mind offering an answer for that as well, but i just chose to answer the questions in the way i felt held the most 'correct' or 'realistic' answer to me as an individual

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Mod baiting for shame Squallsy... Have a nice day ~~~Tranq

29-Nov-2016 16:37:47

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The Importance of Truth