A truth seeker requires both evidence and an open mind to
find ultimate truth. Burden of proof and
open mindedness are interrelated and serve as their own check and balance
system. A truth seeker will utilize an
open mind as an intake for improving their accepted ideas of truth, and evidence to
validate new ideas in their search for the ultimate truth.
What is burden of proof?
I extracted this definition from dictionary.com:
burden of proof - noun - the obligation to establish a
contention as fact by evoking evidence of its probable truth.
There are 2 key terms to point out in this definition. One is obligation, and the other is
evidence. The person who tries to
convince another of his or her idea owns the burden of proof and is obligated
to provide the evidence when presenting their argument. A truth seeker will be open to the evidence,
but does not accept the idea as truth without the evidence.
Some of our commonly held truths are planted in our minds as
children by our families or figures of authority, and are so deeply embedded we
don’t think to question them. These long-held
beliefs may require a much stronger burden of proof to overcome than the “truths”
we derive on our own through life experience.
It is not close-mindedness or stubbornness that we may require more
proof to change these ideas. Much of what
is passed down has been "proven" or at least reliable through the ages. Yet not all knowledge handed down from
generation to generation has a basis in truth, and may be tainted with fear or prejudice. A truth seeker is one who has learned to
recognize that an idea of truth, no matter how set into our minds, is not
necessarily the ultimate truth. He or she
is willing to hear the evidence to reach a new conclusion, yet may also hang on
to old ideas of truth if the burden of proof has not been met.
The primary complication of having an open mind is that one
is often pressured on many sides to choose to believe what others believe, and
are often presented with many conflicting but plausible ideas. One of my favorite quotes:
“The problem with having an open
mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and putting things
in it.”― Terry Pratchett.
This is a profound statement. People are strong supporters of their own
truth, and often have many plausible points to support it. Some of these people may fervently try to convince others of their truth, and deem any who fail to accept their truth as close-minded, when in fact it may be them that are close-minded. To the open minded truth seeker, the alternate
idea being presented could possibly be the ultimate truth. If so, then one should be open to hearing
it.
If the presenter does not present
sufficient evidence, then one may choose to hold the new idea in reserve as an
alternative truth without accepting it as ultimate truth, until the burden of proof is met. Refusing to accept another's idea of truth without evidence is not close mindedness, it's wisdom. If the presenter insists on their idea being accepted as
truth, it is their obligation to provide sufficient evidence for their argument. If an argument is plausible, even if the
truth seeker was not fully convinced, he or she will not discredit the argument
until resources have been exhausted. On the other hand, if one seeks truth, but fails to acknowledge the possibility of the truth of another's point of view because it does not coincide with one's own pre-existing belief or experience, then one runs the risk of being too close-minded to find the truth.
What happens if a personal idea of truth and a presented idea
are in conflict, yet both sound plausible and neither can be proven nor dis-proven? It is likely in this instance that the truth
seeker will hold to their original idea as truth. Not accepting the new idea is not close-mindedness. An open minded truth seeker may choose to
accept this alternate idea as a possibility of being the truth without accepting
it as the ultimate truth. This is not
the same as denying the alternative idea as truth. It is only accepting that there is no way to
prove one idea over the other and, as people are prone to do, defaulting to an
old belief over a new idea that does not meet the burden of proof.
So in seeking for the truth, remember, be open to new ideas
but don’t fall victim to believing that an open mind requires that every new
idea be held in the same light of truth. A final quote: “By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our
brains drop out.” ― Richard Dawkins.
~Gal Friday
