The pursuit of truth

 

                                                                      By Jillian Viljoen

What is truth? Who decides what truth is? Where do we find truth? These questions are a constant in our daily lives. We encounter situations where we search for truth to guide our opinions or decisions.

 

In ancient Egypt, a goddess named Maat was believed to represent truth, justice, balance, and order.
The Egyptians were expected to follow the ethical and moral principles which Maat represented. It was believed that in death, your heart would be weighed against the ostrich feather that was on Maat’s head. If your heart was lighter than or equal in weight to the feather, then you were a good person and would go on to a better place in the afterlife. The heart was considered to be the equivalent of the soul. Each new Egyptian king was expected to rule according to the principles of Maat to maintain harmony and balance in their kingdom.

 

In academia, research is based on truth. Any assignment, essay, article, thesis, or dissertation that is submitted is based on facts that are sourced from various resources. Research is published daily, throughout the world, by researchers who have collected data that is tested and analysed to conclude whether or not the final results verify or refute the topic of the research. The results of this research are used in various sectors of our lives. For example, research on particular soil types will assist in deciding whether or not the underlying soil will be stable enough to build houses or shopping centres. Research on a particular plant will indicate whether or not it would be harmful to certain types of insects or animals, or would affect the water quality in a particular area.

 

Unlike subscribing to the principles of Maat, academic truth is based on referring to other researchers’ research to substantiate our research. The library provides various online resources to assist you with your research:

·       Where do you access the resources? You can search on the iCatalogue, which is the library’s catalogue where you can view the holdings of all the UKZN libraries. You can also access information on the online databases that the library subscribes to where articles by various researchers can be viewed and downloaded. You can also refer to older theses that have been submitted by UKZN students on ResearchSpace, which is the online repository of theses and dissertations.

·       Who will assist you in learning the skills to use these resources? The subject librarians provide library training sessions and can be contacted via email, telephone, or in their offices. There are also scheduled library training sessions throughout the year which are posted on the library’s home page and the University Notices.

 

The pursuit of truth in academia is not based on a belief or idea that cannot or has not been proven because other researchers will also refer to your research for their studies and your results will guide their studies. If your research is based on proven facts, other researchers can add to or expand on your research and apply it to other scenarios.

 

Can you see how important your research is, not only at UKZN but to the whole world? You could be the next Albert Einstein (physicist), Isaac Newton (mathematician), or Sigmund Freud (psychologist).

 

The pursuit of truth is possible using library resources. Make use of these valuable resources to add quality to your research. They are always available for your use.

 

References:

Britannica. (2023, February 2028). Maat: Egyptian goddess. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maat-Egyptian-goddess [Accessed on 16-07-2024].

 

Mark, J. J. (2016, September 2016). Ma’at. World History Encyclopedia https://www.worldhistory.org/Ma'at/ [Accessed on 16-07-2024].