If you ever watched any spy shows on TV as a kid then you no doubt remember sodium pentothal – the universal truth serum. I always wondered if it really worked.

Yesterday I read a blog post from my good friend Michael Hyatt announcing the publication of a new book from Andy Andrews. The full post can be found here but I’d like to take the liberty of quoting a bit:

Through the lens of the Holocaust, Andy examines how Hitler was able to get eleven million people to march to their deaths with so little resistance. In short, he lied to them. And, sadly, they believed it.

If the truth is what sets us free, we need to ask what it means to live in a society where truth is absent, where we are routinely lied to by politicians of both parties, Wall Street, and the media. What is at stake? Can we survive in such a culture of deception?

Our only hope, Andy argues, is an informed citizenry that demands truth at every level—first from themselves and second from their leaders. We must be able to separate fact from fiction, truth from lies, and hold those who lie accountable.

If you’ve got two spare minutes pop over to Michael’s blog and check out the original post. I’m really looking forward to reading this book in part because it has already provoked a few thoughts about truth.

1) Truth is intolerant
By its nature something said to be true is immutable. Statements like, “Well that may be true for you but not for me” are, outside of personal preferences or descriptions, actually contradictions of the very nature of truth. In the interest of discussion let me put a finer point on it, absolute truth is absolutely immutable.

That being said truth is not something subject to interpretation or application but rather ought to be the subject of discovery and investigation: a digging after the truth.

2) Truth is the basis for all rational discussion
Fortunately because truth is immutable and intolerant of multiple interpretations or applications we, as humans, can have rational conversation and debate. Of course the conversation starts to get sideways when we THINK both parties understand truth in the same way, but dont’.

Most of us would agree it’s not right to punch someone in the nose for no reason. But unless we ALL hold this as absolutely true then someone else might come along and state that that may be well and true for YOU but not for them…and shmack you in the schnozz.

That simple example seems pretty easy to digest. But try to use a similar foundation when discussing religion or politics and you go WAYYYY off in the deep end. There are many, many, many interpretations of what is true in those arenas.However, if we go back to our original premise that truth is immutable and intolerant, then most of those interpretations are false.

3) Truth is worth seeking
To often what we proclaim as “true” is really an intuitive leap based on a collection of readily accessible facts. Al Gore gave us an inconvenient truth that global warming was an imminent threat to all life on earth. Huh? There seems to be a measurable set of facts around temperature, and ice flow size, and ozone hole size to name a few…those things seem to be factually true. But saying that this threatens all life on earth is an interpretation of those facts…it isn’t true.

Now, to be fair, it MAY be true and if it is it is certainly inconvenient. But for the moment it is no more true than the Mayans prediction that the world will end on December 21 of this year. Is the truth of the matter worthy of more research and study? Certainly. Truth is always worth digging after.

I come from what I would call an orthodox protestant Christian background. Several times I have had Mormon missionaries come to my door.  I’ve had some GREAT conversations with these guys. I typically tell them that we can discuss anything they’d like as long as they agree to three principles:

1. Each of us is seeking to serve God as best we can.
2. We’re not both right.
3. If we focus on #2 then we’ll try to prove each other wrong but if we focus on #1 then together we’ll dig after the truth.

Sometimes they stay for a chat. (The longest lasted several months meeting once a week.)  Most times they don’t.

As I said I am looking forward to reading Andy’s book. But if we are to be a society that seeks after truth then we must agree to a similar set of principles:

1. Each of us is seeking to know the truth
2. There is one right answer
3. Digging together for the truth still requires us to agree and apply it.

My guess is that as a society we fall apart at #1.

Do you think that as a society we can move in the direction of being governed by truth?