Had an interesting conversation with an IT professional Here is the script of this conversation and by Gods grace he even agreed to have me taped.

Do you believe that truth is relative?

Yes

Is it true for everybody that truth is relative?

Yes

Does that mean relativism is absolute?

Yes

Is it not a contradiction?

Well it can be explained.

Can you explain it to me without a contradiction?

It depends on what is your definition of contradiction.

What is your definition of contradiction?

See contradiction is also relative, different for me and different for you. For example in management there is something called double standard. It is a strategy in management which is applicable in one situation and exactly opposite of that strategy is applicable in another situation.

That is not a contradiction

Text book definition of contradiction may be anything.

What is the text book definition of contradiction?

Well what I understand from a textbook definition is two people are saying something to be true but only one can be true.

Can you give me an example of that?

If the software in incompatible with the hardware. Sometimes we say it is contradicting the hardware.

I am not sure if incompatible is a good word to explain contradiction.

Even I am not sure of that. (laughter)

Two opposite things cannot be true at the same time in the same sense. If someone says Narendra Modi is the prime mister of India and then someone says Manmohan singh is the prime minister of India. We need to know the sense – Having the same understanding of what Prime Minister means and at the same time .

You said someone believes Manmohan singh is the prime minister people may think that he is insane. But if he firmly believes. He will go into the reality where Manmohan singh will become Prime Minister in future.

Remember the classical text book definition I gave. Same time and the same sense.
So its not a contradiction.

You said time. So time itself is relative.

Can you explain to me how the time is relative?

These things are so complex and at subatomic level. So these things cannot be perceived in social world. To observe these things we need to observe sub atomic particles, with which this entire world is made up of. They behave differently.

Do you believe that when people say that Manmohan singh is the Prime Minister, that they are saying the truth, they are believing in the truth?

If all of them say ?

Even if entire nation says that Manmohan singh is the Prime Minister, Would you say they are believing in the truth?

To answer that question, right now it is not true.

Why was it difficult for you to answer that question?

Because I am looking at subatomic particle level, at quantum level and you are looking for an answer at social level.

Give me an example which makes it easy for me to understand at subatomic level. Something which is not true but true.

I my life what I believed happened. I put certain rare conditions and it happened.

Let me ask you. Is it possible that experiences can be false?

Yes but not for all the people. If that experience is false its only for the person who is experiencing it not for others.

Suppose you are experiencing a lion in this place and it is false for you. How is it not false for me that you are experiencing a lion in this place. Or give me any example how an experience which is false for you can be true for me.

If two are of the same mental health and one believes that there is a lion in this room and another that there isn’t. There is no way they can come together and be together because there is difference in belief system. They will never come together in that house.

We are not talking about reconciliation between two people, we are talking about what is true. One believes that lion is there and another that it isn’t. Both of them can believe it but only one of them can be true.

It can be true for both of them.

So you believe that lion is there and not there. Suppose if I say that I am not here right now. It’s a false experience and a faulty statement that I am making. How will it be true for you?

In that case we will never meet. This nature will never make us meet together. Because our belief system is not matching.

Both of us are talking right now and our belief system does not match.

Because you used the word suppose.

Even right now you believe in relativism and I don’t

Because we are talking about the concept which exists at quantum level.

What is Quantum?

Very subatomic level, very basic level. Beyond which world does not exist or at least we have not found it yet.

In that world whatever scientist have found is true.

They believe it to be true. Nobody has seen the atom.

That means the theory you are saying proves relativism to be true is not necessarily true.

Yes

What are you trying to say then?

That is what I am trying to say. Whatever we experience is because of our belief system. We believe there is atom, there is nucleus there is electrons, just on that basic concept we have developed lot of things.

But we want to find out the truth, and it (findings) contradict the other things then we negate one theory and take the other.

Yes

What is logic?

With words you cannot define anything but with experience.

Are you not using words to define things and prove yourself right and now you are saying you can’t do that.

I am saying we cannot prove something merely with words.

What are you using right now?

I am using words but I am pointing towards experiment.

Which experiment?

Young’s experiment.

What does it say?

It says that electrons behave differently when it is observed.

Is it true?

That experiment is well accepted.

Do you want everybody to believe that?

I don’t want. If people find it logical then they can.

Why do you not want people to believe something which is true.

It is none of my business. If they want to go to hell then so be it.

If the young’s experiment is true. Is it true for everybody? Irrespective of whether they believe it or not?

May not be because may be some other scientist found something different.

Is it possible that I bring a glass of poison and tell you it is a Mango juice. Will you drink it?

It is possible because if you give poison to a healthy person he will die but if I drank poison before coming here and then you give me this poison because I believe

Do you what you are doing right now? If I bring a sewage water right now and say it is good. Will you drink it? If you say YES then I am going to bring right now.

I am telling you, I am telling you (laughter)

,If something is true it is true for everybody irrespective of whatever we believe.

Truth is not absolute. It is different for you and different for me.

Give me one example of a truth which is different for you and different for me.

These things are so complex that it can only be experienced.

And you said that experiences can be faulty.

Only for that person who is experiencing.

So whatever you have experienced can be faulty for you then how will you know what you are telling is true?

Sometimes we experience things differently in order to learn from it.

We experience things differently and I understand that but that does not have anything to do with relativism.

I think your definition of relativism is different.

Do you believe absolute truth exists?

No. One truth for everybody does not exist in the entire cosmos, universe or multiverse.

You said there is no absolute truth, is it absolutely true?

Yes