What is truth?

[beam]

Ok. Here's one for all you philosophical types:

What is truth?

Is there such thing as absolute truth?


Fire away. I would like to compile a variety of people's responses. This seemed like the best medium since we have a global crowd here.

Thanks.

[zvanut]

or you could always ask how do you know the truth is true? especially if there is no truth..

ayyy........

[MagMan5446]

Truth is a thing that can't really be described. It is something that has really happened or something that really is. Truth is...truth. As a lie is a lie. You can also say that truth is anything that isn't a lie.

[personman]

[Hasty8]

Originally posted by MagMan5446
Truth is a thing that can't really be described. It is something that has really happened or something that really is. Truth is...truth. As a lie is a lie. You can also say that truth is anything that isn't a lie.

Problem here. To first evaluate what truth is or is not you must first decide which way you percieve reality.

There are two camps in this field. those that believe reality is relative and those who believe reality is absolute.

Those who believe reality is relative percieve reality as being created by us. We say what is real or is not real so it is so. But it's not as simple as that. It is sort of like a Matrix [the movie] situation. We are told that there is a couch in front of us and that it is made out of leather and that is it so many feet wide by so many feet deep by so many feet long.

But does it really exist? If one or two or twenty or all of us stop believing that it exists then, accoring to the relative bunch that couch would cease to exist.

The other group believes that reality is absolute and that we merely travel around in it. This camp believe that that couch is there, has been there and will forever be there regardless of what you or anyone else thinks.

Well, then. Depending on which camp we identify with it becomes much easier to then identify truth. Or at least it should be.

The absolute crew knows that truth is that which happened and it is not that which did not happen. Bascilly, truth is the factual core of the situation and it cannot be corrupted. Now, what in gods name did I just say?

Bascilly, in an absolute universe things happen. It is when we try to record those happening that things get FUBAR.

Humans are faliable (oh boy are we!). That mens, given a chance we will more often then not screw it up the first....3000 times before we finally get it right. Why else would our favorite mantra be "Learn from your mistakes"?

The realtive bunch are just so much more fun it makes me want to chew razor blades. Whereas humans were at fault for lies and mistruths with the first camp of thought with the relative people it just gets so much more confusing.

Why is that? Because in the relative world we make reality what it is. So let's go back to that couch. Now, what if just one person thought that couch was actually a dark blue or a midnight purple?

Would that couch still be black? Don't be so sure. Just because the rest of the population says it is black, to this one person it is not black and we all create reality.

So now how do we define truth?

8 years of combined high school and college philosophy have taught me one easy way to figure out this question.

Feign ignorance.

[beam]

hahaha....excellent hasty8. That's just the type of response I'm looking for. Thanks. Any more philosophical types out there?

[PyRo]

Everything I say is a lie
I like that one.

[mrhooie]

Truth - the absence of deceipt or mis-information

[the JoKeR]

Along the same lines, there are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth. Since the "truth" is up for debate now, and I don't trust you, I must be right!

[Clare]

what is art? are we art? is art art?

-saved by the bell

[MagMan5446]

to me, truth is a noun

[boss_automager]

I agree with personman


hasty I have no idea what you said but it must have been convinceing since ppl replied and it took up half the page!











AO member 4 life :

[Mantis]

Good answer, boss
More words = more truth

[Hasty8]

Originally posted by boss_automager
hasty I have no idea what you said but it must have been convinceing since ppl replied and it took up half the page!

Boss - Truth is absolute and unchangeable or truth can be manipulated by our minds and perceptions.

Both are "true".

[Navy Seal]

or, What is the perpous of meaning?