Babylon 5: The illusion of Truth

[clearspira]

I'm not sure if a telepath would actually be able to warn of a person who believes 'Truth' is created rather than discovered.

What even is ''the truth''?

Yeah, sure. There are absolute truths. Water boils at 100 degrees C is an absolute truth. It doesn't matter if you use a kettle, a pan, a fire or the sun's rays. Water boils at the same temperature each and every time.

But then there are subjective truths. Anyone who isn't a straight up dick in 2022 will agree that slavery is wrong as an example. But could you teach an Ancient Roman ''the truth'' that slavery is wrong? Someone whose whole society and culture is based around slavery? Probably not. Not without considerable time and effort anyway.

Or, as we are using telepaths as an example, VOY: Memorial, where ''the truth'' of a massacre was beamed into the minds of the Voyager crew. ''A truth'' with no corroborating evidence behind it at all as Chuck noted. And yet, the Voyager took it as absolute fact and saw no problem with subjecting others to it.

''Truth'' is a point of view often moulded by everyone you know, everything you've learned and everything you've done across your entire life. It takes more than one person coming along even if that person is a telepath - in fact, especially if that person is a telepath, as there is nothing stopping them from mind raping ''the truth'' into your head.

[Frustration]

What even is ''the truth''?

An accurate description of reality.

Anyone who isn't a straight up dick in 2022 will agree that slavery is wrong as an example.

Ah, but they might have very different reasons for agreeing, reasons that aren't even compatible. And who is to say that the agreement on the wrongness of slavery isn't a mere fad of history?

I happen to agree that slavery is wrong - because of its effects on the slaveholders, not least of which tends to be irrational certainty of their own superiority.

[RobbyB1982]

They already knew the reporters might be lying and planning a hit piece, they didn't need Lyta to tell them that.

Sheridan was genuinely optimistic and wanted to believe in the best in people... and because as they said in the episode, they talked in short clean phrases they didn't think could be taken out of context. They figured "even if they're doing a hit piece... we have nothing to hide and they can't really get anything bad."

They didn't know the reporters would get specific juicy bits like all the cryo pods or an interview with Garibaldi betraying them all. They didn't consider what happens if the interviewer changes the questions so that the answers have a different framing, or flips the order of answers or adds sinister music to it. Or if they got a quack expert to vouch for them.

Basically they had gone a long time having genuine legitimate news coverage and were so used to real unbiased reporting, that they got blindsided by what is standard tactics in today's media environment.

[Riedquat]

I'm not sure if a telepath would actually be able to warn of a person who believes 'Truth' is created rather than discovered.

What even is ''the truth''?

Yeah, sure. There are absolute truths. Water boils at 100 degrees C is an absolute truth. It doesn't matter if you use a kettle, a pan, a fire or the sun's rays. Water boils at the same temperature each and every time.

But then there are subjective truths. Anyone who isn't a straight up dick in 2022 will agree that slavery is wrong as an example.

"Slavery is wrong" is an opinion, not a truth. An opinion that I'd be disgusted at anyone not sharing, but an opinion nevertheless.

[McAvoy]

I'm not sure if a telepath would actually be able to warn of a person who believes 'Truth' is created rather than discovered.

What even is ''the truth''?

Yeah, sure. There are absolute truths. Water boils at 100 degrees C is an absolute truth. It doesn't matter if you use a kettle, a pan, a fire or the sun's rays. Water boils at the same temperature each and every time.

But then there are subjective truths. Anyone who isn't a straight up dick in 2022 will agree that slavery is wrong as an example.

"Slavery is wrong" is an opinion, not a truth. An opinion that I'd be disgusted at anyone not sharing, but an opinion nevertheless.

You are thinking truth as being only absolute. Like scientific truths.

Where as slavery is wrong or murder is wrong can be truths and be considered opinions.