Truth is what we always expect and respect. We like the truth but sometimes abhor it when it is distressing. The opposite of truth is falsehood. We detest falsehood and sometimes condone with it if it benefits someone. We see the victory of truth over falsehood and the victory of falsehood over truth. The latter is short-lived because suppression of truth will lose its power and the truth will be out even after centuries. A popular expression compares truth to a rubber ball which pops up to the surface however hard we try to keep it underwater.
Likewise, truth concealed will redouble its power as times goes by and reappear to neutralize the falsehood that exerted its power. People look at a thing from different viewpoints and arrive at different conclusions about truth. Sometimes truth might be a perfect falsehood and on the contrary sometimes the way we look at truth might be wrong. Today we see various moments that work to build a world where falsehood will be defeated. Yet, how far are we concerned about identifying the truth?
Does truth have its rightful position in the world today? These are the questions that are sure to come up with we analyze our attitude to truth and falsehood. We deal with truth and falsehood differently. You may find people who deliberately conceal the truth and project the falsehood. Some people lie just to derive pleasure, to gain profit, to put somebody in trouble, to project his self-image or to cover his faults. He always appears on the truth but is bent on misguiding almost everybody around him with mere words.
The Essay on Foucault- Truth and Power
In this essay, Foucault’s principal interest is how power diffuses itself in systems of authority and how it affects of truth are produced within discourses which in themselves are neither true nor false. Truth itself is the product of relations of power and of the systems in which it follows, it changes as system changes. There are certain systems in society. So, the system is formed of ...
To deceive people, he may exploit virtually everything – religion, education or social service. The craftier he is, the longer his falsehood remains unknown. On the other hand, we see many people make every possible effort to live up to the truth. Such people consider a truthful life a supreme gift. For them truth is their life and soul! A person with that nature is not prepared to accept anything without careful thought. Such a person might be disadvantaged when he acts in principles on truthfulness in a world of teeming with fraud and falsehood.
Another person may adopt a different attitude toward truth and falsehood. There are people misguided over truth and falsehood. They are incapable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood and are often led to accept lies in the form of truth. People continue to hide the truth, act in the truth, speak the truth, understand the truth and substitute truth with falsehood. They may suppress truth when lies brings advantages or interpret truth as falsehood, and claim that something false is justifiable for certain reasons.
