(EF5) S1-E3: The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor (Season One, Episode Three)


PLAY | DOWNLOAD Facts are like soft clay in the social media age and the most skilled sculptors seem to reshape them to their needs. But would the world be a better place if lying were illegal and a severely punishable offense? And what is the truth anyway? More...

What is the truth?

The big question driving Episode EF5 is… What is the Truth? Without knowing the truth, what can we do? Somewhere deep in our DNA, there’s a code that says we always need to seek honesty, we need to fight for trustworthiness. So we do our best to seek justice we all believe to be the same. When we attack someone for telling a supposed “lie”, we don’t do it because we want to hurt the person. Instead, we’re doing it because we want him or her to be “right” as well. Because, if there’s a single correct path and you are already on that path, then it’s logical you must help anyone who isn’t.

Sadly or maybe even luckily, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Destroying the “mental shell” that what we know is correct is the first and the toughest step towards realizing that what we think is right, is not the only “right”. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it only says it’s not the only valid opinion.

Episode EF5 Summary

Truman, an ordinary man with a regular job, is caught lying in a country where lying is illegal. Thanks to his actions, he ends up facing a mandatory Truth Course to get him back on the track. Terrified, Truman slowly realizes the truth is not what we all grew accustomed to believe. Is it possible that facts are nothing more than a piece of clay molded by someone’s interests? Time is running out for Truman, and the sculptor of truth might hold the power to mold his future.

To try and understand the truth and if it exists at all, we’ll look at correspondence theory, coherence theory, pragmatism and the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Each argument will give us a unique approach to just what the truth might be. But if there can only be one true fact, which one is correct? The one molded by your hands, or someone else’s hands? And if forced to face an absolute truth, would you be able to accept all its consequences?

into the rabbit hole

SHOW NOTES: This episode is dedicated to both Sam Harris and Ai Weiwei. See the EF5 Show Notes for details of the dedication, inspirations, references, selected quotes and more.

