To put this into context, imagine that there was no absolute truth, or at least that it could never be known. What next for the human race? Should we not pursue ideas and beliefs that were at least healthy?
After pondering this question, consider this one: What if we could know truth, after all? Would it still be warranted to put it ahead of health?
Now, in most cases, I think the great majority of people would opt for health above all things. What good is the pursuit of truth if we’re dead or dying? But I see myself in a culture in which the truth is often pursued no matter what the cost. From a certain vantage point, we’re almost obsessed. Sometimes I think that the average person would rather know that a meteoroid was headed towards Earth and would obliterate us all in a matter of a week, and that there was absolutely nothing we could do about it, rather than be oblivious to this fact. He would incur significant mental problems such as debilitating levels of fear, terrifying dreams, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, etc., all things he could otherwise avoid by being blissfully unaware of the meteoroid. REMEMBER: doom is inevitable in this case - truth doesn’t help him.
Of course, in reality, knowing that a meteor was headed towards Earth actually would be helpful. It would give us a chance to do something about it (send a nuclear warhead to destroy it - I dunno), thereby preserving, least of all things, our health. But I’m just being hypothetical here. So could you if you tried hard to image similar scenarios. The point is, could there be hypothetical situations in which knowing the truth would put our health at risk more than oblivion would… and should we, therefore, raise health to a higher position on our priority list as a species?
Personally, my first response to this would be that, of course, truth is important. I don’t think we could have health without truth. The medical profession, after all, looks to science for guidance on maintaining and pursuing health. It depends on it. But all this proves is that we shouldn’t toss truth straight out the window. That’s not what I’m saying, however. I’m not asking, is truth unimportant. I’m asking, should it come ahead or just behind health as a priority. What should doctors do if a patient was found to be fatally suffering from a deadly disease and the only cure was for her endocrine system to produce chemicals in large amounts, chemicals that are only produced by her brain when she is, at all times, in a positive, uplifted, cheery, and hopeful mood?