Reply #37: Your examples are predictions, not cultural naratives. [View All]

A prediction is one man's proposal, and can always be (in)validated -- that's the main point of a prediction. A narrative is a different sort of beast entirely. It's a fabric of values, and comes into being through broad agreement within a given culture.

A narrative is composed of individual, interlocking beliefs. Some of the beliefs making up modern industrial civilization are:

"This civilization is the most fulfilling that has ever existed"
"Technology is good, and the more advanced a technology is, the better it is"
"It's better to be rich than poor"
"We will always be able to figure out a way to solve any problem"
"National boundaries are a good thing"
"Laziness is bad"
"Hierarchies are essential - somebody has to be the boss"
"We should always obey the law"
"Our troops exist to protect our freedom"

These are all value statements, and none of them can be shown to be true in any absolute sense. I claim that none of them can be validated or invalidated with objective evidence. However, most of us will recognize them as widely shared beliefs that help define the core values of our civilization.

A cultural narrative can change over time, as it did when Europe moved from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance. However, it does so not because the old world-view was falsified (though some foundational assumptions may be proven wrong as with the heliocentric theory), but because there was a broad shift in beliefs by the people of the culture.