Truth Resists Simplicity, Position Paper

Lauren Walley

Mr. Lindow
British Literature
April 14, 2015

There is one phrase defines truth in my opinion. That phrase is simply

this: truth resists simplicity. This is something that John Green once
mentioned to his brother Hank who went on to explain the meaning of this in
one of his YouTube videos. I feel that this sentence is one that can help
define truth. Truth has so many different aspects and meanings when it is
looked at from different angles. While a scientist may argue that the theory
of evolution is absolute truth, Christians believe that creation is absolute
truth instead. This is one aspect of truth. A second aspect of truth is truth
that can be proven without a doubt, these truths would include gravity and
the fact that the world is round, but even these were once not seen as truth.
Finally, a third aspect of truth is moral truth and what people feel is true and
right. This final kind of truth will differ slightly for each individual.
The first of many aspects of truth is scientific truth. While this may
seem like a fairly simple truth because it is truth that has definitive proof
behind it, it still manages to resist simplicity. This is because people disagree
on what is actually proven and what is false. One of these complexities is
evolution. While scientists will say that evolution has absolutely definitive
evidence that proves its truth, Christians will argue otherwise, as will people
of many other religions. This is where the complexities come in. Both of
these theories are definitive to the people who hold them true. However,
this is a definition that does not apply to scientific truth. A second issue that
scientists have with calling creation an absolute truth is the lack of proof that
supports this claim. While people who believe this truth are willing to accept

it on faith, scientists that support evolution as truth are often unwilling to

accept this reasoning as something that can constitute truth.
However, there are also scientific truths that most people can
generally agree on. Some of these include the existence of gravity, what
color certain objects are, and the fact that the world is round. However,
while these may seem obvious now, they were not always obvious and this
adds another layer of complexities to these seemingly simple truths. It was
once considered truth that the world was flat and gravity was an unknown
force that no one had even considered. When these ideas were considered
to be absolute truths, anyone who claimed that the world is round was
considered crazy. Today the reverse is true, if anyone were to claim that the
Earth was actually flat, they would be considered absolutely insane. While
part of this is that more research has led to more information being
gathered, it also leads to the questions about what people today hold as
absolute truth that we feel have been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Religious truth is an aspect of truth that is extremely different from
scientific truth. While scientific truth demands conclusive evidence to be
called truth, religious truth is based purely off of faith. One layer of
complexity that is added to religious truth is that many scientists will not
even acknowledge its existence. This complexity is one that I do not feel is
placed upon scientific truth because it is often easier for people who believe
in religious truth to see scientific truth as simply something that those who
agree with scientific truth believe in. Religious truth also has another

additional layer of complexity because it is impossible to prove to others.

Since those who believe in religious truths like creation or that Jesus died to
save us from our sins take these truths on faith, it is much harder to convince
others to follow.
A third and final aspect of truth that adds to the massive complexity of
truth is individual or moral truth. These are truths that are held by
individuals and sometimes larger demographics of people. These truths may
include the belief that gay marriage is wrong or right, integrity is the most
important attribute in a friend, and even the idea that all men are created
equal. The first of these truths is something that has sparked many lively
debates between people who disagree on the subject. Yet, both sides of the
argument feel that they are correct and that their opinion should be seen as
truth by those with an opposing opinion. The biggest complexity of this set
of truths is the fact that people can so wholeheartedly disagree, yet both
sides feel that their argument is the one that is correct and true. This leads
to an idea that there is no such thing as absolute truth, another truth that is
disagreed upon. The second truth in the list above is one that only certain
people feel is true. While others may not feel that integrity is a bad attribute
in a friend, not everyone feels that it is absolutely the most important.
However, many people hold this as an individual truth. Some truths, like the
phrase all men are created equal, include an additional layer of complexity
because the meaning of the phrase has changed over time. Originally this

phrase was applied to just white men in the United States, later it began to
encompass men of other races, and then finally women.
In conclusion, I truly feel that truth resists simplicity. This statement
may seem like a simple truth in its self, but when looked at deeper it is
possible to see the many layers, just as the many layers can be seen in the
many aspects of truth. While there are different kinds of truth, there are also
different definitions of the word truth itself. Different people will define truth
differently, adding another complexity to all truths beyond the complexities
listed above. When truth is looked at as a whole, it is easy to just skim the
surface and look at the simpler aspects, but to truly define truth is in my
opinion, impossible to do as a society. Individuals must develop their own
opinions of truth and each individual definition is simply a truth to one
person that is as valid as the truth that the person next to them feels is
accurate.