"The search for truth is a uniquely human process; a quest guided by our perception of an event. But what happens to the truth when what we see and what we think we see are two very different things..." (1). How do we know people and is it possible to fully know another person? I am a firm believer that we don't know anyone but ourselves. "The truth is only what we persuade others to believe", "for truth is easily and often hidden by the arguments of those who are false..." (2). Think of the world of which we call earth. Over 6 billion people and more being born every minute. From Namyit Island in the Spratly Islands to Santiago in Chile there are people traveling, dying, eating and crying and we have no idea who they are. In our lives we won't even meet one percent of the people who live on this planet so how can we say that we know people? Even with newspapers and televisions showing us reports on what is happening in other parts of the world and making us believe and/or feel sorry for other people, "we are now able to create devices that can project" things "in our image". Things "that not only look like a human, but talk like one, express emotion and... even make mistakes in true human form" (3). With all the technology floating around and an over population of the world can we even consider everyone that we see humam?

World People:

Contact, experiance and media are the ways it seems that we get to know other people. With the visual, touch, taste, sight and sound we are brought into the world. From there we meet people and socialize. From an infant with his/her mother to elderlies talking in the local park we are constantly socializing and it is only from socializing that we get to know other people.

Through the media, getting to know people is a little different. Everyone has seen Clinton on the television talking about what he does best and everyone sais that they know him. But is what he is saying really true. He does not write any of his speeches, he does not choose when to say something or not, his wife is the big supporter for Clinton (he would be dead without her). How can we as humans even come close to saying that we know people that we see on the television. It's all media and it's normaly created with what you want to hear.

Another good example of media changing how we know people are kids shows. As a kid you believe that those cute little animals are real. Big Bird (from Sesamie Street), probably the most well known character in a kids show is real to the child watching the show, but in actual life the child does not know Big Bird at all. Costumes and disguises make the difference on knowing and not.

Think of all the people who are the orphans in the world. About half of them don't know that they are orphans and call their step-parents mom and dad. As a child how are we suppose to know who our real parents are? Is someone really the child of these people who are taking care of this child or could it be someone else. In fact, how can anyone be sure that the person they are talking to is really the person they think they know.

Sound should be able to make you recognize someone else, but with all out technoligy today it's not the case. Personal computers can record and play back voice at such a good quality that even digital equipement would find it hard to recornize a difference. Phone calls, and messages might be from someone who is trying to get money/cards for free. What better way to do it then to disquise your voice as Hilory or Bouchard. May the money flow in!

"What is freedom but the ability to make choices? Between courage and cowardice... duty and love... or even heaven and hell. The nature of the choices we make define us as human beings. We choose the world we inhabit" (7), our friends, the media we will watch and observe them greatly. Our mind plays tricks with us as we make the choise to believe or not if we know the people we see or not. It's impossible to be right all the time due to the fact that all our sources of information are not that reliable and controled by the people who run the state. Do we know anyone who we have not seen before? The answer must be no. Can we be sure that everyone we see is who we think it is? Once again the answer must be no. We think we understand how we know other people, but in actuality the world is full of choices and we have to make the decisions!

Total Knowledge:

"Big Wheels, Starwars Figures, Green Slime, Microwaves, Walkman, Mtv, Atari, Home Tv, Indiana Jones, Speed Racer, Pacman, Vcr's, Cd Players, Nintendo, Aids" (4). Over the past twenty years, these have been some of the things people have owned along with thousands of other things. Is it possible for someone to know exacly what one of these things another person likes best and worst? Even best friends or so called Blood Partners will not know another person's personal information.

A child's mother is normally the on that knows the most about their children but most of the time even mother's don't know much about their children. It can take years before a parent realizes that their child smokes or shoots acid. Best friends may know each other well but can do they really know what the other person is thinking: If so then there would be no point in discussions since all answers that one may have would already be answered.

Some people believe that identical twins fully know one another at birth. But to fully know another person you have to have the exact same cells, dna and have exactly the same things happen to one as the other. Believing that the twins fully know the other twin then must be wrong because they experianced different experiances in the womb and also while exiting the mother.

Children grow up believing that they can live their lives without believing anything, but when a child sais that, "doesn't it mean that they don't "believe" in life" (5). Without believing in life a person can't possibly fully know another person.

From the conclusions it seems very unlikely that a person can fully know another person. Friends and familly might understand how another feels at a time but not fully understand the nature of the problems. "For centuries philosophers and theologians have debated what it means to be human. Perhaps the answer has eluded us because it is so simple. To be human is to choose" (6), and from choice comes diversity which makes all of us different and that's why we cannot possibly fully know another person.

Notes:

(1) Outer Limits Television Show Episode: BODIES OF EVIDENCE (c) 1997, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (opening control voice)

(2) Outer Limits Television Show Episode: BODIES OF EVIDENCE (c) 1997, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (closing control voice)

(3) Outer Limits Television Show Episode: BITS OF LOVE (c) 1997, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (opening control voice)

(4) The Four Corners Of Nowhere, Movie: NEW AGE / DRAMA (c) 1997, Unknown

(5) Anonymous user on Phylosopy Message Board. Inet Address: Unknown

(6) Outer Limits Television Show Episode: A FEASIBILITY STUDY (c) 1997, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (closing control voice)

(7) Outer Limits Television Show Episode: TEMPESTS (c) 1997, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (opening control voice)