What separates a lie from the truth is that a lie breaks with reality while truth doesn't, and one of the defining characteristics of reality is consistency. That's why we pay attention to consistency in stories we are told. If there's an inconsistency, we know that there's something not quite right about the story.
Unfortunately, the idea that consistency is part of reality has been challenged over the last century. When a paradox was discovered in quantum physics at the start of the 20th century, the ensuing debate led to the astonishing conclusion that reality is in fact paradoxical. Instead of the common sense conclusion that the paradox was a sign of error, the wise men decided to declare themselves right nevertheless. Instead of admitting that something was wrong with their theory, they declared the world paradoxical to the point of being unknowable.
This decision has had a profound impact on theoretical physics, as well as politics and economy. Once the idea was accepted that reality is paradoxical, and hence unknowable, the world of academia started to allow for inconsistencies. This opened for wild ideas like the possibility of shaping reality through narrative, which in turn was welcomed by politicians and financial charlatans. A century later, we live in a world where nothing is certain, not even our gender or race. It's all whatever we choose it to be.
However, there never were any good reasons to declare the world paradoxical. There were scientists at the time who pointed out alternatives, and I've written two books on this myself. Every aspect of quantum physics can be explained in non-paradoxical ways. My conclusion is that the world is most definitely not a paradox. Reality is consistent. A paradox, when found, is proof of an error.
Our common sense intuition is right, and it will be increasingly important to us as we progress into what's becoming an increasingly mad world. We must pay close attention to the consistency of stories, and treat anything inconsistent with great prejudice, because an inconsistency indicates a lie, and hence a conflict with reality. If we go along with it, we might find ourselves in trouble.
Conversely, we have to be consistent ourselves. We too have an agenda, and the way to build credibility around it is to keep it consistent. We cannot on the one hand claim that the Delta variant is harmless, and then go ahead an lament the fact that Obama's birthday bash seems to have spread the virus. At most, we can point out the hypocrisy of the event. But to lament what we would otherwise tone down serves nothing for our credibility.
Party politics is rife with this sort of inconsistencies. The blue team will point out all sorts of things in the red team while allowing blue team members a free pass, and visa versa. The best way to avoid this trap, is to stay away from party politics. The anarchist position is in this respect useful. It makes it easier to see the errors in thinking in both teams. We avoid making the mistake of touting inconsistencies. We also avoid the error of doing something simply because all our team members are doing it.
Consistency in itself is not truth, but an inconsistency is proof of an error. There's no way to prove anything simply by telling a consistent story. My theory on physics is consistent, so it's not dead on arrival. It also conforms to reality as observed. Yet, this too doesn't prove it right. All we can say about it is that it isn't an obvious lie. It's a plausible alternative to what we know to be wrong due to its inherent paradox, namely currently accepted quantum physics.
This holds for any story that we want to convey. For it to be believable under scrutiny, it must be consistent. It must also reflect reality. We must refrain from the temptation to throw in a lie or two in order to make the narrative more compelling. Such tricks may work for short term gains, but they erode our credibility. It's better to be the honest guy that's vindicated with time than the clever one with passionate followers, but no staying power.
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| Dawn |
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