Truth: Subjective and Absolute

I always used to think that the reality of Truth had to be objective. If it wasn't objective, or objectively realized, then it's not really Truth. If there is Absolute Truth, which as a Christian, I believe is God, then that Truth must be able to be reached objectively, and that's what we must strive for. I've always been taught in this paradigm of modern thinking.

But as I've learned and grown more, and have been reading up on postmodernism, I have come to understand t that Absolute Truth and objective truth are not the same thing. Absolute truth refers to the fullness of reality, which, I think we can safely say, we humans are far too dumb to grasp. Objective and subjective distinctions refer to our perceptions of truth--objective meaning that our search and knowledge is unaffected by our own opinions or biases, and subjective meaning that our knowledge is affected by those things.

The question that has recently come to my mind is, Can we really know any truth objectively? Everyone sees reality from a different angle. This means that all of our perceptions of the world are subjective to our perspective. If I am looking at a cup in front of me, I only see that cup from one angle. Actually, we must go further in this act of observation. My eyes see the cup, the image is sent to my brain which then interprets the image. My interpretation of that image is affected by many things: my education, my experience, my background. And even though this all happens within a split second, it is still an interpretation. Anyways, onward. I can't know the full reality of the cup that I see in front of me. I can't, by myself, grasp the fullness of the truth of that cup. My interpretation, combined with my experience with previous cups and general knowledge about cups, leads me to think that I've got this cup all figured out. But in that moment of observing, I am forced to subjectively interpret what I'm seeing.

As a quick aside, I think this illustrates one of the great importances of community (and diversity within community!): because we all see things from different angles and perceptions, we must try to help each other to know the different angles of the reality of something in order to grasp as much of the fullness of reality that we can.

If we as Christians believe our Lord when he said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6), we must acknowledge (which I don't think any of us will have a problem doing) that Jesus, the eternal Logos, is the embodiment of the reality of Truth. He is the Absolute, in terms of what we might know as the reality of Truth. There is no reality apart from, or greater than, Him. If we believe that Jesus alone is the fullness of Truth, then we have to say that someone can't know the fullness of Truth apart from knowing (or having a relationship with) Jesus. If this Truth is something that you can only come to know through a personal experience, then that is subjective. Therefore, Truth, as we know (think intimately knowing here) it, is subjective based on our own perspectives and relationships with that Truth.

But even Christians, who we can say know more fully the Truth through knowing Jesus, can't know the fullness of Truth, because, frankly, it is far beyond us. God is a mystery that cannot be subjected to our rationally thinking minds. And, as we're always perceiving reality through our subjective lenses, we will never know the fullness of Truth until we come into God's Kingdom. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

When I brought this topic up in conversation with a friend, they said to me, "So, you don't believe in absolute Truth then?" No, that's not what this means at all. I believe in absolute Truth, which is the fullness of reality. But our perceptions and perspectives of the world do not equate to the fullness of reality, because we are so limited. We can only know reality through our interpretations. And those of us blessed to know the salvation of God through Jesus are blessed to know Truth itself in our Lord.

This postmodernism stuff is really resonating with me, and at the same time challenging me to rethink what I know. I would encourage all of you to do the same.

Peace.