I’ve been thinking about events in the news recently and it occurred to me the other day (a thought that has repeated itself many times in the last decade or so) that we are living in a post truth generation. The times they are a changin’ and it’s reached a point that I coined a new phrase to describe it. I’m calling it “Ontological Distortion.”
The next few posts are dedicated to what it means to live in a post truth world. What do I mean by post truth world? I mean a world where the idea of truth is fuzzy at best and at worst, it’s something impossible to know. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let me back up a bit. There’s a little more set up needed to understand how truth and Ontological Distortion exist in context – and context is important.
To have this discussion, we may accidentally swerve into current American political realities or popular religious thought. Do not be alarmed. I am not going to talk about either really, but both currently give us a visual of what Ontological Distortion means. We may hit on some sensitive topics, but if we do, it’s only to help us see a bigger picture.
And what is the bigger picture? It is the concept of truth and whether or not truth has any meaning in American society in 2026. Some might say truth does exist as an objective fact, but there is plenty of evidence that argues it does not. Or, if it does exist, it’s like the elves in the Lord of the Rings– passing through on the way to the Undying Lands.
And as we consider the idea of truth, we acknowledge this is a broad topic. For us to grasp it fully, we’ll need to rely on philosophy and theology to do the heavy lift and make it meaningful. So we must start at the beginning by defining our terms. Here goes…
Defining Terms
What does the word Ontological or Ontology mean? How do you define Ontological? Ontological and its root word Ontology are terms used in philosophy and religion. In philosophy, Ontology is a branch of Metaphysics. Hence, this term is used in both philosophy and theology.
When I first heard this term, I admit it was hard to understand. It still is. It took a long time for me to understand it. Keep this in mind if it doesn’t make much sense to you. Give it a little time, let your mind soak in it for a while and you’ll be fine, I promise.
Ontology deals with reality and the way reality is viewed. How do we understand and perceive the world in which we live? Is it real or is it an illusion? Does what we perceive exist or is it an illusion? In this sense, Ontology deals with our very being- existence itself.
Further, Ontology questions the nature of reality. What is reality? How do I know what is real? It doesn’t just accept at face value what we have learned without critical thought first. Being ontological means asking hard questions and probing deep, seeking to understand the world in which we live and how it is taken in.
And there’s more to the definition. The word Ontology has branches and is used in several areas of modern life like Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. Here it is used to understand frameworks of knowledge and how information relates to itself. How is information sorted and organized?
Plato’s Cave
This brings us to the cave. Not just any cave mind you, but Plato’s Cave. There is a lot that could be said here, but we are limited by space. Platonic philosophy gives us an allegorical framework about the way we view reality (Ontology).
It showcases Ontology, because it describes a perspective of reality we may not have considered before. It further challenges us to use critical thinking to evaluate why we hold certain views of reality and take a hard look at what is real. It’s Greek philosophy and it challenges us to examine our preconceptions and how they influence us to perceive the world in a certain way.
Now let’s not forget, Greek philosophy is the bedrock for western civilization. It’s foundational for science, technology, philosophy, medicine, religion and just about everything that makes up our modern American society today. I’m not saying the allegory is right or wrong, I’m only pointing out it has an enormous influence on our culture even to this present day.
Plato’s Cave is an allegory that depicts reality and the illusion of life. This is symbolized by prisoners held captive in a cave. In the allegory, prisoners are chained in a cave they have been imprisoned in from childhood.
They do not know life is an illusion and they are prisoners of that illusion. It is the only reality they know. The prisoners have been conditioned to believe what they see is real, but what they perceive as real is actually only shadows on a wall, cast by a fire. The shadows shape their impression of reality even though it is not real.
Next Time Part 2
Okay, I’m going to stop for now. Next time, in Part 2 of Ontological Distortion, I’m going to introduce a few elements of influence in modern life that create a confusing reality for us. Truth be told, we are not unlike the prisoners chained in Plato’s Cave in this regard.
And the battle lines for this discussion will center around truth and if truth can be known. We’re going to make an ontological jump and broaden our discussion out to include a discussion about truth and if truth matters.
Have a great week,
Ernie