Is there such a thing as 'Truth'?

1. 59

   RighterOneposted 12 years ago

   Is there such a thing as 'Truth'?
   
   I've come across a heated issue lately... Is there such a thing as objective truth - that is, certain aspects of reality that stand alone and require nothing else to be 'true'? Or is all so-called truth entirely subjective - that is, it depends on someone to believe it, in order to be 'true'?
   
   

   replyreport
2. 62

   joejagodenskyposted 12 years ago

   Pilate to Jesus and now you to us.  Got an answer for me?  I'm listening!

   replyreport
3. 70

   somethgblueposted 12 years ago

   I would have to say Yes, but certainly couldn't prove it to you the only truth I know for sure is that "I think, therefore I am".
   
   Even that could be subjective, so perhaps it is a matter of perspective. However I have found that it is really what you believe in your heart to be true.
   
   That is why I really don't understand people when they ask for proof of anything. Is proof seeing something, anything 'seen' on TV or through digitization can be faked.
   
   Even something seen with your own eyes can be faked such as holograms, often people end up seeing what they want to see.
   
   Good question, tough to answer!

   replyreport
4. 79

   Attikosposted 12 years ago

   Every college student struggles with that question. In fact it, more than mononucleosis, is the sophomore's disease. The philosophical term for the belief reality exists only in the mind is solipsism. It's a rather thoroughly discredited idea.
   
   Most people are dualists, which is to say they believe external reality is in fact (so to speak) real, but that for each of us our knowledge of it is internal. The lines of communication with it are our senses. Misapprehensions of it are common, and that leads to diversity of opinion about what is real.
   
   The philosophy of the knowledge of knowledge is epistemology. Bertrand Russel is a good one to go to for clarity on its issues. He writes extensively on this subject, and he isn't hard to read.

   replyreport
5. 61

   cicsomumposted 12 years ago

   Ask yourself, how many times you tell lies every day. Everybody lies, all the time and then we rationalize it as "harmless lie" etc. Truth... well, we tell true only when it’s in our best interest, that’s what I think.

   replyreport
6. 61

   girlgonestrongposted 12 years ago

   I would say yes.  After all, we know that 2+2 truly does equal four.  If someone says that "to them" 2+2=5 is wrong.  It's not 5, regardless of their beliefs.  They're simply wrong.
   
   Similarly, someone may believe that the law of gravity doesn't apply to them.  They can believe that all they want, but as soon as they take a stop of faith off the top floor of the Empire State Building, they're going to find out that they were wrong.  It wasn't really "true for them" that gravity had no bearing on their lives.
   
   So...if there is at least one truth (2+2=4) then it makes sense that there would be more "truth" out there.  Now that you know that truth exists...you get to the really hard questions.  What is "the truth" and how can we know it?  Are some truths more important to know than others and if so which ones?

   replyreport
7. 66

   Sky9106posted 12 years ago

   Truth is all that it is , it's non changing and infinite. We as members of the human race can twist it , turn it and even doubt , it will always remain what it is, and the only thing that truly matters , will always be, what it is to us!
   People will always take out from the truth as it exist for us all , and do whatever what they feel suits them best. Still they belong to one truth.
   
   Look at mankind, we are all quite sure that we all originate from the same source, but look at the division,  that we have concluded on .
   We are so far gone, that there is absolutely no turning around. So it's within our best interest to know where we stand.
   Between a rock and a hard place are only for the confused.
   
   Bless.

   replyreport
8. 79

   cprice75posted 12 years ago

   There is truth.  Truth is what corresponds to reality.  I am telling the truth if I tell you that there is a 99.99% chance you will die if you jump from the top of a 30-story building.  That corresponds to reality due to the law of gravity. 
   
   I study history.  I will concede that people will view facts and events differently and that they will often come to different conclusions.  One example is the cause of the American Civil War.  One group holds that slavery was the main cause of the war.  Another holds that it was the argument over the tariff and/or states' rights.  The truth is that there was an American Civil War.  This is without a doubt.  There can at times be differing opinions regarding issues.  Some will come closer to the truth of the matter, others will not.  That does not mean that there is truth in the abstract, however.

   replyreport
9. 61

   katielroseposted 12 years ago

   Yes, there is such a thing as truth. However, knowing the truth, the absolute truth, may be all but impossible. You know what I am talking about if you've ever heard two sides of a disagreement between two different people. One person says one thing, another person says something entirely different, and reality is somewhere in between. It's not that one person is lying, It's that person can only see her side and not the entire truth of the matter.

   replyreport
10. 67

    gregb4hopeposted 12 years ago

    Sure there is....We all die that would be a truth...and absolute truth. Most absolute truth is so natural to us that we don't recognize it's existence.

    replyreport
11. 60

    megniposted 12 years ago

    Absolutely there are truths. There are basic truths such as food and water are necessary for survival, and there are relative truths that have to do with indiviudals and their own particular circumstances.

    replyreport
12. 71

    Freeway Flyerposted 12 years ago

    I believe that there is such a thing as truth. If all truth was subjective, then the statement that all things are relative would still be (the only) objective truth. The trick, however, is actually figuring out what is true. And on that front, we probably don't know as much as we often think that we do. This is why the wisest people are those who recognize their ignorance.

    replyreport