"It’s one thing to dispute someone’s interpretation of facts, it’s another to deny that there even are facts, and it’s all a matter of interpretation."
– Ben Witherington
Postmodern liberals and alternative-fact conservatives should all take note. If there is no trust in honest inquiry, research, witnesses, reason, or scientific data, you can say good-bye to any hope or pursuit of truth. When people are more committed to finding affirmation than they are in dealing with reliable information, you can be sure culture, community, and even Christian faith will fall apart.
This recent post on Dr. Ben Witherington's blog is timely and worth your time. Note that it was published before last Sunday's news programs (January 22).
Do We Live in a World of Post-Truth?
January 21, 2017 by Ben Witherington
According to the OED (the Oxford English Dictionary), the new word of the year for 2016 was— post-truth. We have talked about post-modernity, and post-Christianity, but now, it appears we have to talk about post-truth. I am quite sure that there is a connection between talking about post-Christian culture and post-truth, at least when it comes to the issues of epistemology (how we know what we know), theology, and even what counts as reality. So, a few comments are in order about post-truth. Firstly, if this means the denial that there are facts, then we have arrived at straight-up nihilism. It’s one thing to dispute someone’s interpretation of facts, it’s another to deny that there even are facts, and it’s all a matter of interpretation...
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