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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: Homestead <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Homestead] Sweet truth, wherefore art thou?
  • Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:43:43 -0500

Early on in the history of the Internet I forecast a great democratization. With almost all information available to all people in all parts of the world, everyone would know the truth. The miscreants among us would be exposed and made ineffectual. Goodness would be common because badness would be less possible.

As is often the case, I was naive. Yes, information has become available on a scale that none of us imagined. We have access to more daily, updated information than is held in the great libraries of the world, more than we have time to read.

It is at once too much and not enough. It is too much because anyone can bolster a notion with myriad sources. As with those who argue about the truths of great religious books, the truth is everywhere and it is not to be found because of contradictions of sources. It is not enough because rather than settle us it confuses us.

So I wonder, is there any truth? How fallible are our observations? And if mine and yours are fallible, then so too are the observations of others throughout the world. Who is trustworthy?

On the homestead list we disagree on various subjects. To make our cases we quote sources. Another quotes a different source. And so it becomes a battle of the sources. It is educational, it is fun, or it is simply annoying depending on one’s mood.

To the garden. The garden seems always truthful. Whether I like it or not.



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