Julie Pippert: Using My Words

The first thing I knew about truth was that it had many faces, was not exclusive of embellishment, and was invariably subjective and typically relative. It was also cause for more battles as religion and politics. That's because, I think, the real battle---even when it comes to religion and politics---is over what is true. For some, truth is solid, as hard as a diamond. To these people, truth is incontrovertible. It is a known thing, obvious. That four-legged, solid surface object in the kitchen is a table. This thing is true. For others, truth is slightly more malleable, self-evident, soft. That stuffed object you sit on is maybe a sofa, maybe a couch, perhaps a love seat, or a settee...it depends upon what you know, what you think, how you experience it. The first group is deeply offended by embellishment, unnecessary add-ons. They find this to be misleading, which is their softening how they feel, which is that you are lying. These people, whether they know it or not, subscribe ...

To clarify definitions and how I mean the crucial terms I use, upfront: Values -- an individual's accepted standards of right or wrong Morals -- society's standards of right and wrong, very similar to ethics Ethics -- a structured system of principles that govern appropriate conduct for a group, including activities such as professional ethics, compassion, commitment, cooperation --- D. Rieselman Values are at the root of who we are individually and who we are culturally, as a group. Aristotle, an early proponent of moderation, said that good values are indicated through the use of good judgment in finding an effective balance between extremes. And although Aristotle lived more than two millennia ago, his points about values, virtue and moderation are still relevant. Ian Johnston says we still like Aristotle because he provides, "a workable and intelligible framework for sorting out how we should think about living our lives—a version that in many ways fits our commons...