"Why is the Truth so Difficult to Ascertain?"

This is a question posted by a friend of mine on Facebook. Here was my reply.

Because we are born knowing nothing... all of us-- from the lowest to the highest. While that sounds obvious, people assume certain members of society have special knowledge and pathways to "The Truth". This is a delusion. The way to the truth is Reason, because it's the only tool we have. As such, we must sharpen that tool. The first step is to be honest and admit the difference between what we "know", and what we "believe". People say they know things "with every fiber of my being". No, they don't-- they believe.

The other thing about "truth" is that all knowledge is subject to revision with the discovery of new facts. ALL KNOWLEDGE, including religlion. To deny this is to have stopped thinking-- committing intellectual suicide. Skepticism is above knowledge, not below it. People have a desire to have instant truth, to know all answers now. Sometimes the best answer, the HONEST answer, is simply: we don't know yet. Where did the universe come from? We don't know yet. What happens when we die? No one knows, except that scientifically speaking, it looks like nothing at all happens. Where did humans come from? We do know that one... evolution. My point is that people should not expect all the answers all at once. And this is what religion pretends to provide...