The "Fact" is...
...............................................................this is in "fact" a black man, believe it or notC.P. Scott, the former editor of the Manchester Guardian newspaper, once said (apparently) that "facts are sacred" -- a "fact" I just came across which got me thinking: what truly constitutes a fact?
Think about it.
News reports of someone's death are replete with uncertainties -- oftentimes, the only thing you can be certain of is that the person is dead -- but even that is uncertain at times!
How old are you? Is that a fact? What does time even mean?
What's your name? Is that a fact? Was that always your name? Will that remain your name? Is that your only name? Can the same "fact" have variations?
How can facts be sacred if they are fluid, undefined, and even uncertain? I guess that brings us to the answer (and question) at the heart of all of this: the only fact we can be close to certain of is change -- that change is inevitable and natural and therefore nothing is sacred for long.
Think about it.
News reports of someone's death are replete with uncertainties -- oftentimes, the only thing you can be certain of is that the person is dead -- but even that is uncertain at times!
How old are you? Is that a fact? What does time even mean?
What's your name? Is that a fact? Was that always your name? Will that remain your name? Is that your only name? Can the same "fact" have variations?
How can facts be sacred if they are fluid, undefined, and even uncertain? I guess that brings us to the answer (and question) at the heart of all of this: the only fact we can be close to certain of is change -- that change is inevitable and natural and therefore nothing is sacred for long.
Labels: Arts and Ents
posted by the saccharinist at 10:39 AM
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