Nature of Truth

Truth is one of the significant lessons in philosophy. It has been a topic of discussion in its own right for many years. Moreover, its value and influence to man's life cannot be denied. Mabuhay and welcome everyone. This lesson discusses Nature of Truth. Before delving into the discussion and in order to facilitate understanding of the lesson on truth, here are the guide questions. 1. What is truth according to the correspondence theory of truth, coherence theory of truth, and pragmatic theory of truth? 2. What distinguishes truth from opinion? 3. How do we evaluate truth and opinion? Take note these questions and answer them to assess your understanding of the lesson. Considering the ungraspable nature of truth but great influence of truth to man's life, many philosophers shared their thoughts on truth. For Protagoras truth is how you put what you say is true. Plato has his own thought of truth in which for him truth is in the world of forms but Aristotle considers truth to be in the world of appearances. Pyrrho contends that no one could know the truth. Antiochus asserts that truth comes in bits and pieces. For George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, truth in philosophy means that concept and external reality correspond. Considering how philosophers describe truth it can be ascertained that one of the greatest issues on truth is its nature. As such, theories on truth are posited. Correspondence Theory of Truth This theory states that truth corresponds to reality in form of object and fact. It proposes a relationship between a proposition and evidence. This theory emphasizes that if something or statement is to be proven true, it must be supported by concrete evidence or evidences. Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas advocate for this. Its logical form is. X is true if and only if X corresponds to some fact and X is false if and only if X does not correspond to any fact. The ground for truth lies on the evidence. As a theory it has its criticisms. The first one is the external reality in which it is a reality that the absence of concrete evidence does not automatically make a statement or a belief false. The second criticism of this theory is the verification principle. It states that there is a need to verify the evidence because evidence can be made and or altered. Coherence Theory of Truth This theorizes that truth coheres to a set of concepts which can be in the form of beliefs, statements, and propositions. It proposes that truth lies in its orderly and logical relationship to a system of concepts. According to this theory, a statement is true if it is supported by a set of logically related statements. Hegel and Spinoza are few of the supporters of this theory. Its theorem states that X is true if and only if X coheres to a set of concepts and X is false if and only if X does not cohere to a set of concepts. The proofs of truth according to this theory lies on a set of related beliefs, statements, and propositions. However, this theory could not address the facts that there are certain sets of cohering beliefs that are not automatically real. And that a certain set of beliefs can be contradicted by another set of beliefs. Pragmatic Theory of Truth This theory suggests that truth can be proven by its practicality or simply its benefit. It proposes that truth relies on the benefit that truth can provide. This theory points out that something or a statement can be proven true if it provides gain or benefit. Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, John Dewey introduced this theory. The logical form of this theory is. X is true if and only if X is consequently beneficial and X is false if and only if X is not beneficial. Thus, the truth of the matter lies on the positive consequences. Be it as a theory, it cannot address the criticism of judgment callee in which it asserts that the truth of the matter relies on the person who will benefit but there are true statements that are not beneficial. Let us continue our discussion about the nature of truth. At this point, we will be zeroing on the relationship and comparison of truth, untruth, and opinion. To better understand truth, it is significant to consider what the philosophy calls ontological truth and logical truth, the difference and relationship of the two. By analyzing the relationship of ontological truth and logical truth, truth can be differentiated from untruth. Ontological truth is simply what is, what exists. It is reality as it is, all of being as it is. To concretize, the initial feeling of amazement on witnessing something great as what it is. It is an ontological truth of the experience of being amazed. On the other hand, logical truth is the ontological truth articulated and communicated faithfully, truthfully. To connect, if the person who experienced the feeling of amazement describes this feeling the way he she experienced it, this is the logical truth. Considering the nature of ontological truth and logical truth, ontological truth informs and determines logical truth. Thus, it is difficult to completely separate the two although there exists a clear distinction between them. In situations, when ontological truth is not faithfully communicated, untrue comes in. Then it can be said that, untrue is unfaithful expression or communication of ontological truth. An untruth is intentionally not true, that is intentionally false. A person states an untrue when he she has determined the ontological truth but chose to say the opposite or not to say it. Another concept that is related to truth which often characterized to be untrue is opinion. Opinion is a personal view and judgment that have their root in belief rather than truth. Therefore, opinion is not the opposite of truth and it is not strictly speaking of untruth. Our next topic is on evaluating opinion. Given how difficult it is to separate facts based on reliable and objective information from opinions based on one's prejudices and subjective beliefs, it is important to pay close attention to this distinction. Therefore, before recognizing these thoughts and beliefs as true, we must examine them against a set of standards. We must follow a certain method of verifying any statement, opinion, or belief before accepting it as true. In order to arrive at a reasonable belief, supported by the most suitable evidence regarding its nature, we are encouraged to have the epistemic requirement to subject them to the most suitable manner or method of inspection. Through the process of questioning, we must take into account and acknowledge our fallibility. We all make mistakes in our views, thoughts, and remarks because we are fallible human beings. As a result, we must deliberately question beliefs and evidence, be receptive to new information, and be prepared to adjust our beliefs in light of new information. It's crucial to avoid dogmatism when assessing beliefs and attitudes. Dogmatism is the inclination to establish beliefs as unquestionably true without taking into account evidence or the opinions of others. This offers us a general idea of the critical thinker's epistemic duty. We can be on our toes as analytical and critical thinkers by adopting a healthy skeptical or methodical skepticism mindset. Having a healthy skeptical or methodical skepticism mindset is to constantly attempt to construct reasonable beliefs after carefully putting them through a process of inspection and scrutiny. In a nutshell, the fundamental methods for assessing our opinions and views involve keeping an open mind while looking for fresh information, being willing to adjust our biased beliefs, and having an attitude against dogmatism. In summary, here are the main points of the lesson. Truth theories are but not limited to correspondence theory of truth, coherence theory of truth, and pragmatic theory of truth. Ontological truth is what it is and logical truth is the ontological truth articulated and communicated faithfully, truthfully. On the other hand, opinion is not the opposite of truth and it is not strictly speaking of untruth. The fundamental methods for assessing our opinions and views involve keeping an open mind while looking for fresh information, being willing to adjust our biased beliefs, and having an attitude against dogmatism. With this lesson, let us become critical on statements, beliefs, and arguments being posited by people around us. Mabuhay and thank you.