Great Books Truth: Truth in Relation to Love and Friendship (Pleasant and Unpleasant Truth) I chose to write my Great Books paper on the topic of truth. I chose this topic because I believe that it is an important virtue to possess, and I was interested in reading about what the great philosophers had to say about it. The two authors whose ideas I read about were Milton and Pascal. Both had many interesting things to say about the topic of truth.
The book Paradise Lost expressed many of the views its author, John Milton, had toward truth. Throughout the book, these views play an important role. Milton often refers to truth as one of the most powerful tools against evil. He says that each person has the ability inside themselves to find the truth, and that if they have faith in God, they need not be afraid to tell it.
Blaise Pascal first explained his wager in Pensée...
John Milton Friend of the Earth
John MiltonHe calls this strength from God the "spiritual armor"� of truth, and stated that He will work through love to guide the hearts of all to the truth. With this armor, Milton states that one man fighting for truth is stronger and better than an entire army fighting against the truth and that the man who tells the truth has "fought the better fight."� Because of this, the truth will give that person strength in the future. He says that those who win by telling the truth, and continue to tell the truth, will win any and all disputes.
It is clear, however, that Milton does not believe that the truth is always easily told, nor that it will always accomplish the greatest good. He expresses that although the telling of the truth may result in something so bad that the world may perceive it as though it...