I like Orwell, his fears are well justified, but it's statements like these which make me think he stopped short in his realizations (along with most people).

I like Orwell, his fears are well justified, but it's statements like these which make me think he stopped short in his realizations (along with most people). I think Plato's arguments presented in his Allegory of the Cave, paint a clear picture of "the truth" and the nature of the human condition. Particularly by showing that "finding out the truth" always relies on perception/observation of the truth (science is no different BTW). Which is to say what we come to regard as the truth is subjective to our perceptions of the actual truth. Which brings up a problem: How can you ever be certain that our perceptions are nothing more than "a shadow of a deeper truth" and thus not the real truth? The only way of resolving this trust problem (at least until further evidence comes along), is by taking a leap of faith (ie to adopt a belief). Thus ultimately, anything anyone regards as the truth, stems from adopting at least one or more beliefs/assumptions whether they realize it or not. Fully realizing this, makes it so much easier to understand society, and why you can't always convince people using what you deem as "facts". Unfortunately, you may also realize how deep the rabbit hole really is...