He was an illustrious representative of the highly developed civilization, a civilization that had swallowed up and internalized a number of cultures. He was a representative of a multi-cultural state that had been absorbing aliens by the thousands and granting them citizenship. He had been immersed in the philosophical and literary trends of the times, he had much knowledge about the physical world and social institutions. For all that, confronted with a convict from one of the far-flung corners of the empire, he was incapable of formulating a definition of what truth is. He went down in history not only as the one who washes his hands in an attempt to exonerate himself from guilt and responsibility: he is also remembered for asking the (foolish) question of: What is truth.
The Convict standing in front of him did not answer that question. Why? Because it was no use. Try telling the modern post-Western intellectual what truth is and he will ridicule you and call into question any and all facts, data and their interpretation, reasoning and – yes – common sense. Not a stone in your argumentation will be left unturned. You will learn from him that there is no truth, or that we all have our own truths, or that everything is relative and changeable, and to claim the possession of truth is tantamount to intellectual dictatorship that leads straight to – yes, your guess is correct – fascism.
That is why the Convict did not try to engage in any conversation on what truth is, since no one is so blind as the one who will not see. Pilate, that illustrious representative of the highly developed civilization, a civilization that had swallowed up and internalized a number of cultures, a man of letters knowledgeable about everything and anything, was left with his question for all eternity. The followers of the Convict, the mostly illiterate dimwits making their living from simple trades and inhabiting the space somewhere between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, knew what truth is, they knew it to such a degree that they were ready to lay down their lives for it, and so their spiritual heirs slowly but surely subverted the Roman Empire and brought about the downfall of the world of those who did not know what truth is. It is really as simple as that.
Game theory, you might say. One player does not see any sense in playing the game and wanting to win, feels compunction about vanquishing his opponent, about humiliating him, so he refrains from the game or plays it but half-heartedly; yet, the other player desires to play, itches for a tooth-and-claw fight, sets all his heart on achieving a victory. Who do you think will carry the day?
Present-day Europeans are like the former player. They do not believe in their superiority or at least exceptionality. Consequently, they do not defend their borders nor their own laws when these are breached by immigrants because Europeans do not know what truth is. Everything, every creed, every ideology (with a few exceptions), every custom (again, with a few exceptions) is equally good so why resist any alien influence, why oppose, why fight?
The product of such an intellectual attitude is to be expected. A European commissioner has recently come up with the idea of imposing a language deprived of all words that might be offensive – whatever that term means – to non-Europeans, of words like Christmas, gentlemen and ladies, and the proper name Mary. The Notre-Dame Cathedral is being rebuilt in such a way as to deface its Christian character and instead enrich it with references to other cultures and philosophies. Monuments dedicated to the heroes of the past are toppled or smeared with paint and graffiti. Film producers – and especially the BBC – are eager making movies which feature disproportionate numbers of black actors, also in stories about the times and places when blacks were non-existent. The same goes for ads.
The question, What is truth, soon entails the answer that there is no truth, and if there is no truth, then truth can be constructed to suit someone’s purposes or desires. Hence such pseudo-scientific terms as “race as a social construct”, “biological sex as a social construct”, the alleged existence of an ever rising number of biological sexes or – according to modern parlance – genders, and so on. There is no truth or truth is whatever I wish it to be, hence the evidence of your senses need not apply. Obviously, your senses deceive you all the time, don’t you know it?
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