…the war about the genocide was truly a postmodern war: a battle between those who believed that because the realities we inhabit are constructs of our imaginations, they are all equally true or false, valid or invalid, just or unjust, and those who believed that constructs of reality can-in fact, must-be judged as right or wrong, good or bad. While academic debates about the possibility of objective truth and falsehood are often rarified to the point of absurdity, Rwanda demonstrated that the question is a matter of life and death.
The conflict over the genocidal events in Rwanda exemplified a deeper philosophical struggle. On one side, there were those who argued that realities are subjective, thereby claiming that every perspective holds equal validity. Conversely, there were those who contended that these constructs of reality should be assessed based on their moral implications, suggesting that some beliefs are inherently right or wrong. This dichotomy reflects a broader debate that, while often academic and abstract, has profound real-world consequences.
In Rwanda, the dire consequences of this theoretical debate became starkly evident, underscoring the urgent need to confront questions of truth and morality directly. The author, Philip Gourevitch, highlights that the philosophical discussions surrounding objective truth are not just academic but can significantly impact human lives, reaffirming that in the context of genocide, these discussions are indeed a matter of survival and moral judgment.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
