This thread is sucking me into the quicksand like so many others have been drawn in before me
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Yes, when I say 'truths' I am talking about our opinions and beliefs (whether religious, political, philosophical) which we bring to the text. I see I should be distinguishing between our moral 'truths' and our opinion 'truths'. Words again...
I still think that as humans we must be taught our way in the world. This does not mean that if someone goes against society that they can get away with any heinous crime just by claiming that 'they did not know any better'. We must put these things into context and while the person is appropriately punished if necessary, we must also ensure that they learn.
The difficult thing is that our morals and our opinions can be very indistinct at times, and getting back on topic and tying this in with Tolkien, I can see that he recognised this. The example I often draw upon is the character of Gollum - I could discuss him for a long time and still come to no conclusion about whether he was good or bad.