The Battle for Reality
Before proceeding, it is important to briefly clarify some of the terms used throughout this exposition. By relativism, we refer to the belief that truth and morality, are not universally objective, but are dependent upon individual perception, interpretation, culture, or circumstance. By absolutism, we refer to the belief that truth exists independently of human opinion, perception, or experience, and therefore possesses an objective and universal nature that is not altered by culture, emotion, or circumstance. Subjectivity refers to the personal and individual manner in which humans perceive, interpret, and experience reality, while objectivity refers to that which exists independently of human feelings, opinions, or interpretations. By nature, we refer to the created world and the visible order of existence through which aspects of truth, wisdom, and the character of God are expressed. By revelation, we refer specifically to the self-disclosure of truth as revealed in the Holy Bible, especially as interpreted and demonstrated in Christ. Science, in this exposition, is understood according to its classical meaning as knowledge gained through the careful observation and study of the natural world and the laws that govern it.
Speaking on the nature of truth, Mark Woodman states:
“Truth is independent of opinion. By its very definition, Truth is intolerant of error, every aspect petitioning the conscience for acknowledgement. The individual however, holds the key to admission or rejection.”
Relativism and Absolutism
One of the most influential ideas in human thought has been the notion that man is the measure of all things. From this idea have arisen many theories concerning truth, morality, and reality itself. Some of these theories have emerged from genuine attempts to understand the diversity of human experience, while others have challenged the very existence of objective truth.
Ever since the entrance of the grand delusion that man can be the measure of all things, the deception that mankind can be a deity and therefore possess divine power and authority, mankind has sunk into the deep, dark abyss of misery-causing theories. In the past years, we have been seeing a growing resistance against the notion that there is absolute truth, and in an attempt to reject and even eradicate absolutism, we created a war between relativism and absolutism. Relativism arose in part from the recognition that human beings experience, interpret, and understand reality differently. While this observation is true, it becomes dangerous when subjective experience is elevated above objective reality and individual perception is allowed to redefine truth itself. But we must clearly understand the dangers of adopting the concept of relativism for the purpose of denying reality. Relativism is the offspring of subjectivity, and in truth, we do not all experience the same things at the same time, nor do we perceive and process reality from the same angle. However, this does not conflict with or remove universal realities. Regardless of our subjective experiences, there still flows the ocean of objective reality. I do not wish to be understood as implying that relativism and subjectivity are the same thing, yet it is my intention to clearly show that relativism is originally the offspring of subjectivity.
Subjectivity is the idea that humans subjectively perceive and process reality. Our cognition and spiritual knowledge are also very different due to cultural differences, our upbringing and experiences, our education, religious beliefs, and overall circumstances. All these factors affect how each experiences life and the events that occur within it. Even in interpreting the events of reality, we differ; each individual often has a subjective experience. It is from these subjective experiences and interpretations that relativistic thought finds much of its foundation, which is the notion that each individual has their own truth. And this idea of individual truths is a fallacy at its core, for it proposes that truth itself is subject to individual interpretation.
Now, it is a great mistake to think that since humans often have idiosyncratic experiences, they also have subjective truths in a universal sense. This is the distortion of the very word “truth,” which by definition is universal. In a strict sense, there is no personal truth. Truth is objective by nature, for it is not dependent on the one who experiences it. It is superior to human reasoning; rather, it governs human experiences. Therefore, we cannot subject truth to our own capacity to perceive and interpret the world around us, but rather we are to rely on the truth in order to do that correctly. We do not invent truth by means of reasoning; rather, we seek to discover truth and align our reasoning and actions with truth. This is where the battle is: we have adopted the fallacy of subjugating truth to our perceptions and interpretations of what constitutes reality, whereas we ought to have allowed the expressive nature of truth to educate and inform us about its essence.
Nature, Revelation, and the Search for Truth
Truth has been clearly expressed through nature and biblical revelation. Not only has it been made known, but it has been interpreted and demonstrated in Christ. Therefore, the struggle is not that truth is vague or hidden, nor that it is subject to human reasoning; it is the lack of love for the truth that dominates the inclination to resist and distort the truth. Truth has appeared to all men both in nature and in the revelation of Scripture. All that we need to know concerning the world, God, humanity, worship, and existence has been made known. Science has brought rich jewels of revelation to us in the study of nature, and Scripture has put these revelations in the right perspective and given us tools to interpret them correctly. Furthermore, Scripture has made clear everything in nature and beyond that is necessary for life presently and for the life to come. Herein, we find absolute truth.
Nature is an expression of God’s love, which is the very nature of God Himself. And since He has made all things, and there is nothing that was before Him, He alone then is the definer of reality; truth is His to give. No other created being has in itself the ability to generate or distribute truth; these are attributes of the Creator, not arbitrarily so, but essentially so. Therefore, truth cannot exist solely from the mind of the experiencer, nor can it be interpreted solely through human reason. Ultimately, it cannot be relative, but by virtue of its origin and its nature, it is independent of the human agent. Though nature, in its intricate design, was intended to reveal the character of God and therefore impart that knowledge to humans for their growth and development in the knowledge of God, the violation of the covenantal love between the two—God and man—marred the perfect expression in nature, leaving it with ambiguities and confusion, yet still with much of its meaning intact. Revelation is intended to remove these ambiguities and confusions by soundly interpreting and defining the message written in nature; this is not the primary purpose of revelation, but a great deal of it. So, if we are to know and understand what truth is, we desperately need the substance of both nature and biblical revelation, primarily biblical revelation.
Truth by nature transcends human reasoning; by its very definition, it is beyond the sphere of what we can fully comprehend. Therefore, even what is revealed both in nature and in the Scriptures is still not fully comprehended by man. There is an infinite spring of truth that mankind is still to discover.
“God is the author of science. Scientific research opens to the mind vast fields of thought and information, enabling us to see God in His created works. Ignorance may try to support skepticism by appeals to science; but instead of upholding skepticism, true science contributes fresh evidences of the wisdom and power of God. Rightly understood, science and the written word agree, and each sheds light on the other. Together they lead us to God, by teaching us something of the wise and beneficent laws through which He works.”
Ellen G. White, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, And Students, p.426, para. 2.
This is the nature of reality, the essence of truth.
