دنيای ديگر

دنيای ديدنی، بدان شكل كه ما آن را می‌شناسيم تنها دنيای موجود نيست. بلكه نه چندان دور از آن، قابل مقايسه با آن -ولی در سطحی مخصوص به خود- دنيای ديگری وجود دارد كه انسان از درون آن خويشتن را بيان می‌كند.
(ورنر هافتمان)

Truth and Television (Abstract)

There are various philosophical theories about truth such as correspondence theory, coherence theory, consensus theory, and pragmatist theory. But none of them is directly the objective of this essay.

Truth also owns a general and common sensual meaning that can help us regard it as a cultural phenomenon, not just as a philosophical or theological concept. In this meaning, truth is a hidden reality which is covered by unreality or omission. A reality uttering it is effective and emancipating. Every society has a specific system of truth. In the pre-modern societies, truth has a collective and transcendental resource, and it is explicit formerly. In these societies, there is no serious tension about truth in everyday life. But in the modern societies as well as metropolises, the collective and transcendental resource is not strong enough to predefine truth and its criteria. This situation makes distinctive contribution to shape a new system of truth. This new system could emerge in the guise of atomistic, pragmatist, or hermeneutic system. Whereas in atomistic system of truth, everyone becomes the resource of truth and the common language of truth fades and everything is justifiable, Pragmatist system of truth is constructed on a basic idea: “every major individual has acceptable believes and notions for him/herself.” Thus the major individuals should respect to each other’s views and decide over their common practical problems. Unlike pragmatist system, hermeneutic system is based on this idea that “everyone’s notions could include some of truth.” Owing to recognizing both truth and untruth, hermeneutic system benefits from more potentiality to be employed for critical assessment.

Here, I am to show how Iranian state TV serials, because of lack of characterization and polyphony, reinforce the atomistic system of truth. In Iran, for the reason that nightlife is absent, TV serials have a considerable influence on pop culture. In these serials, men and women are represented in the simplest form without any complexity and details. Their body is reduced to their face and their character is reduced to socio-religious types. They do not have any particular voice and any specific point of view. On the contrary of the real situation of Iranian modern society, truth and its criteria have a transcendental resource in these serials. This paradox and its results are the major objects of this essay.