| “All models are wrong. Some are useful.”
– George E. P. Box |
SA has developed a model that attempts to convey our approach to seeking Truth. We call this model the “SEEKERS Anonymous Truth Pyramid”, and it is depicted below, followed by brief descriptions of each element of the diagram:
- At the foundation of the pyramid, we find History. This should not be confused with legend, folklore or myth. It means “events that actually occurred in the past”. That said, we understand that this is more complex than it sounds, since much of history has been recorded in a biased fashion, and even the meaning of geological and fossilized records of history are constantly debated. This is why corroboration among multiple sources is key to gaining an accurate view of History.
- Supported by “events that actually occurred” is Science. This is our richest area of exploration, and includes the branches of Social Science, Physical Science, Life Science and Earth & Space Science. We focus the majority of our time on this layer of the Pyramid.
- After Science, we transition from Tangible aspects of Truth to Intangible aspects. Areas above this point in the Pyramid are subject to personal opinion, interpretation, and are generally subjective in nature.
- The first Intangible aspect of Truth is Philosophy. This is a rich area of study, despite its subjectivity, and when we delve into it, we try to examine multiple points of view to ensure a better understanding.
- Philosophy also forms the basis of Religion.
- Next is Tradition. That is, human traditions established around philosophical or religious beliefs, cultural traditions, etc.
- Tradition is also a key element of Religion. It may be worth noting here that the Biblical account, without corroboration, would fall into the category of “Tradition”, not into the objective category of “History”.
- Finally, at the top of the Truth Pyramid, we find Experience. This is the most subjective aspect of all, and refers to an individual’s personal life experiences. We all have them, and they, along with all the lower layers of the Pyramid, form our personal worldview. We bring our worldview to the table every time we have a discussion, and it is important to acknowledge the biases one may hold as a result of their worldview. SEEKERS encourages its members to be respectful of those who have worldviews different than their own.
- Experience is also the third and final element of the “Religion” category.
- Also depicted are arrows running up and down on the left and right sides of the diagram. The arrow on the left is labeled “Informs…“. This means that History informs Science, which informs Philosophy, which in turn informs Tradition, which finally informs Experience. Conversely, on the right side, we see the label “Informed by…“. This simply illustrates the reverse of the relationships depicted on the left, that is, Experience is informed by Tradition, which is informed by Philosophy, which is informed by Science, which is informed by History.
We hope this simple model helps to convey our approach to seeking Truth. From it, you should be able to clearly identify our priorities, our core values, and what we believe the relationship is between each area of exploration.
As George E. P. Box said, “All models are wrong. Some are useful.” We hope the Truth Pyramid is at least somewhat the latter.
Seekers Anonymous 