In a time where the boundaries between perception and reality blur, a burning question emerges: Is truth a social construct or an objective reality? This isn't merely an arcane philosophical distinction. Much of our contemporary discourse—be it liberal versus conservative or left versus right—is a reflection of this tension.
The complexities of living in a 'post-truth' world, where we defend ‘my truth’, invites reflection and response. Are we arbiters who define truth or explorers who discover it?
Our stance on truth not only informs our cultural narratives, but is pivotal for societal coherence. It is not easy to maintain harmony and dialogue when we have different understandings of truth and reality.
In our next conversation we will delve into this distinction and give you a means of making sense of the different positions and how to navigate them. By the end, you will have a fresh lens for understanding the ideas shaping culture and discourse in the “post-truth” era. You will be able to look beneath surface disagreements and recognise the deeper metaphysical assumptions at play. And you will get a set of questions that will help you discover what is true.
This discussion is the next chapter in our continuing conversation about the 'metacrisis'—a convergence of profound environmental, economic, geopolitical, and social upheavals—which can only be properly understood in the context of long-term socio-cultural shifts.
In our first conversation we gave an overview of the field, covering the crises, the metacrisis, and seven principles for surviving and thriving. In our most recent session we considered the major socio-cultural shifts in some depth. Building on our recent discussions, our next conversation will further explore the impact of our perceptions of truth on our culture.
If you are trying to make sense of what is going on, and find how you, those you care about, and your organisations and institutions can survive and thrive beyond the metacrisis, please join us next week.
Paid subscribers (just $7 per month) can find the registration details below.
Ultimately, these conversations endeavour to understand what is going on in the world today, and how that might apply to us in our situation, whatever that may be. If you are able to join us, there is no doubt much we can learn from you.
And … if subscribing is a bridge too far, and you really want to be in the conversation, then we want you to join us. Let me know and we will get it sorted.