The Book Of The Arrow

The dogma of the sensible

1. We can never know objective truth.
2. This is because everything that we can know becomes known to us, directly or indirectly, through our consciousness and hence is subjective. If it does not come through our consciousness then we do not know it.
3. Nor can we infer the objective truth; all inference is based on what our consciousness perceives and hence is one step further away from "reality". We are capable of creating models that seem to work very well but this just means we haven't found out what's wrong with them yet.
4. Hence if there is anything in the entire universe or even a universe, we will never know about it.
5. Ever.
6. There are three reactions to this realization; the first two are really one.
7. They are the paths of the megalomaniac and the paranoid.
8. Those on the first assume they are right, those on the second that everyone else is.
9. Following these paths leads to short-term thinking, constant low-level fear and a vast consumption of luxuries in attempt to forget about how terrible and meaningless everything seems to be. These are the paths of unnecessary attachments.
10. There is a third path.
11. It is called the path of the sensible.
12. We can never know what is really going on.
13. But we can give it our best estimate; always bearing in mind that is all it is.
14. But if we gather all the information we can carefully, without belief.
15. And then base our actions not on what is good or right but on what seems to yield the most desirable long-term consequences. Without attachment to any one idea or method.
16. Without even attachment to this dogma.
17. I admit that the other two paths seem to be easier.
18. If you are a coward.
19. Or lazy.
20. Or just stupid.
21. But the third path can actually be more fun.
22. And may just get us out of this global mess we appear to be in.
23. Not that anyone is likely to notice. After all they have right on their side.