Our theme

This blog is intended for those who have something to say, rather than those have to say something! Our subject is anything amenable to rational discourse…

ΖΗΤΕΩΜΕΝ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΝ – Let’s seek the truth!

Our tagline (motto), ζήτέωμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, is an Ancient Greek^[1] quotation. “Let’s seek the truth!” is an exhortation, thus it acknowledges that the quest for truth is both a free and a shared endeavour. In contrast, the widely-used Latin motto Quære verum (Seek the truth) is in the imperative^[2], it is an order.

Why not just use English?

Q: Isn’t this all a bit pretentious – why not just use plain English?

A: Hey Oh! What you will – or whatever – it’s only a passing nod at the Hellenic basis of our civilization and the Greek pioneers of critical rational inquiry. Is any of this unclear or beyond understanding?

Regarding Parmenides…

Although we have only our thoughts, whether as opinions, conjectures or ‘fancies’ these alone should not be our end:

It matters not what men’s fancies are, ’tis the knowledge of things that is only to be prized.

John Locke. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690).

1. Our use of ἀλήθεια (aletheia) resembles that of the presocratic critical rationalist Parmenides and is to be clearly distinguished from the usages of Martin Heidegger or Michel Foucault et al. Return to the text >

2. But not in the original usage: in the Epistles of Horace the phrase is descriptive – atque inter silvas Academi quaere verum (and seek for truth in the grove of Academus). Return to the text >

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