According to the classic definition, an absolute truth is “something that is true at all times in all places.” In other words, an absolute truth is something that is true regardless of circumstances or context. For example, it is an absolute truth that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It is also an absolute truth that the earth revolves around the sun.
For centuries, humans have accepted the existence of absolute truths. Moreover, humans have relied on the existence of absolute truths to gain a better understanding of our world and how it operates.
However, in recent years, the very existence of the idea of absolute truths, also called universal truths, has been undermined due to the rise of “relative truth” or as most young people are fond of saying these days, “my truth.”
Consider. A recent poll asked Americans: “What is your belief about the truth?” The respondents had two choices: 1. “There is absolute truth.” Or, 2. “Each person determines their own version of the truth.”
Among those aged 18 to 29-years-old, a whopping 55 percent chose the latter. Put another way, only 42 percent of young Americans accept that there is such a thing as absolute truth!
As can be expected, older Americans are much more willing to reject the idea of “relative truth.” For example, 67 percent of Americans aged 55 to 65-years-old agree that there is absolute truth.
So, why are so many young people unwilling to accept the existence of absolute truth? Well, maybe because they’ve been inundated with messages from public schools, the mainstream media, Hollywood, and many more societal institutions that refute the existence of absolute truths. For instance, a few years ago, it was almost universally accepted as an absolute truth that men are men and women are women. Yet, nowadays, boys can be girls and vice-versa. At least so say the pushers of the transgender agenda.
While many might sigh and say “who cares, if a little boy says he is a girl, so be it.” Well, where does it end? If we reject the existence of gender, what else is on the truth chopping block?
Make no mistake, once we dismiss the idea of absolute truth, everything is up for grabs. Trust me, a world in which there are no absolute truths is a world in which anything goes.
PHOTO: truth. Photo by Jason Taellious. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is the editorial director and a research fellow at The Heartland Institute, as well as a researcher and contributing editor at StoppingSocialism.com.
