Touchdown?

Yesterday during Monday Night Football, the Packers played the Seahawks.  In the final play of the game, the Seahawks threw a touchdown pass that was caught by a player on both teams at the same time.  The ruling of the play was in favor of the Seahawks, and they won the game.

Looking at a replay however, it is very obvious to see that the Packers’ player had possession of the ball in the end zone.  Take a look at this picture:

Although I find this to be especially frustrating, it brings up the philosophical concept of truth.  If a referee calls that the Seahawks won the game, while actually the Packers should have won, did the Seahawks actually complete the pass?  In a similar situation, if an umpire called a pitch as a strike when it actually was outside of the strike zone, was the pitch truly a strike?  Well, obviously not.

In many other facets of life people halt the search for truth in order to simplify an issue or feel good about themselves.  The best example is of an elementary school teacher, who, tired from complaining about her job, tries to quickly resolve an argument between two kids on a playground.  Instead of investigating to see if Jimmy really did hit Billy first, she makes them both apologize to each other, in hopes of easing the situation for herself.

It’s probably impossible to find the exact truth in some situations, but one thing I know for sure is that the Packers should have won that game.