Overview:
- What is truth? Does truth exist?
- Objections to truth (symptoms of truth decay)
- Is truth important to my life?
- The Bottom-Line
What is Truth? Does Truth exist?
Beliefs: The way we understand things to be, or how we think things are.
Reality: The way things are.
Truth: Telling it like it is; the reality of the situation.
If, and only if, the beliefs match reality, then they are true.
- A) Truth is ABSOLUTE: something that is true is true for all people, in all places, at all times, and is unchanging. People may look at things with different opinions, cultural perspectives, or hypotheses, but different views do not change the truth. Do not confuse truth & reality with opinions, perceptions, etc. Even if Germany won WWII, took over the entire world and either exterminated, or taught everyone to think the Holocaust never happened, then even generations later, with the whole world believing it did not happen, the truth that it did happen is still the reality for all people, in all places, and for all time.
- B) Truth is EXCLUSIVE: it excludes anything in contradiction with it. For example, some really believed Philadelphia would win the 2023 Super Bowl, some expected Kansas City, and some sad fans even expected Detroit to finally win one, but the truth is: only 1 team won, the Chiefs. That is universal, true for all people, in all places and times, and excludes ALL contrary claims. It is not being narrow-minded, intolerant, arrogant, or mean, it is simply the truth.
The same is true of worldview beliefs about life. At some point, the game will be over for each of us, and the 1 truth will become clear. Can Buddhism be true and we all become one with the Universe, Islam be true and Allah decides our fate by his whim, Christianity be true and our eternity depends on what Jesus did for us, Atheism be true and there is nothing after the body dies, and also, those who believe all (except for Hitler, child abusers, etc.) are basically “good” and will be brought into heaven – can all these beliefs be true? Do you see the problem with such thinking? Different worldview maps contradict each other, therefore, by the Law of Contradiction, only 1, at most, can fit reality. It is not being narrow-minded, intolerant, arrogant, or mean, it is simply reality.
All people are created equal, but not all ideas or beliefs. People deserve care and respect, but ideas: do not have feelings to hurt, do have the ability to impact people’s lives, and should be held up, or dropped, depending on whether providing accurate guidance to reality and life, or not.
- C) Some people CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH: Life brings some difficult and hard truths our way, and many people respond with avoiding, denial, distractions, focus on daily stuff, aggressive emotions, or apathy to stay in beliefs that may not fit reality, but are comfortable. Of course, then they are only guided by something that may not be true, and eventually will end up with even worse consequences. Ever witness a close friend or relative in an abusive relationship, and try to talk truth with them. They may say, “He will change once we
have a child together,” or “she just had a rough day, and I deserved it,” or “I invested so much time in this relationship.” None of these views change the truth the abuse probably will get worse, not go away. We can choose to avoid, deny, or reject truth, but then we will face the consequences of truth, which may never go away.
You can believe whatever you want, and choose to avoid, ignore, or reject the truth, because you are not comfortable dealing with, or cannot handle the truth. However …
Eventually you will either recognize and be guided correctly by truth, or slam up against absolute truth. And your perceptions, opinions, hypotheses will not change what the truth is, or the consequences that come with each truth.
- D) Truth brings CONSEQUENCES: We seek hard for truth – the correct understanding – and realize the consequences of basing our choices on a false understanding or belief concerning our relationships, careers, family, health, and other areas of life, but many do not have properly supported beliefs about the most important questions of life, and are unaware how much their worldview beliefs have already impacted them, and how much it will affect their lives in the future.
Since only 1 worldview belief, at most, fits reality, whenever worldviews contradict each other, only 1 will be a solid foundation and be counted on for choices, priorities through life, and after-life. all others ARE NOT FOUNDED ON REALITY and will guide you at times during life, and possibly eternally, into consequences you did not seek or expect.
- E) Truth can be TESTED: We test for truth all the time, and have done so naturally since childhood. Then it is up to us to choose to, or not to, follow the evidence where it leads.
Objections to Truth
Our education system and media has served us poorly regarding truth and logical thinking. People are so confused about truth, and most students and many adults today believe in clearly wrong ideas about truth, such as:
| 1. There is no truth. | 6. It’s all just opinions. |
| 2. You can’t know truth. | 7. The truth is not important. |
| 3. All truth is relative. | 8. All beliefs are equally valid. |
| 4. It’s true for you… but not for me. | 9. You ought not judge, or be intolerant. |
| 5. No one has the truth. | 10. Whatever, I’ll do what I want. |
If you believe an objection to truth, why? What support do you have your objection is true?
Objections to truth get broken, when exposed to hard reality, consider two examples below:
Apply the Claim to Itself: A good way to expose these beliefs as untrue, is to apply the claims to themselves! If someone tells you, “There is no truth.” Ask them, “Is that true?” The claim disproves itself. “No one has the truth.” Ask: “When you claim that no one has the truth, you are really claiming that you have the truth.” The charge: “Don’t judge my belief, you are intolerant,” is judgmental itself and not tolerating the possibility their own belief may be inaccurate.
Statements may not always refute themselves, but ask for evidence and dig deeper as none will disprove the existence of objective truth. If one claims it is not possible to know the truth, ask what reason they have to believe that. What really exposes such a claim: ask if they have considered the evidence supporting a belief. If they haven’t looked into evidence supporting beliefs, then they are exposed as just not wanting to look. We will see examples of evidence in later summaries.
Apply the Claims in Real Life Situations: These objections make logic mistakes and can also be exposed by applying these beliefs about truth in real life. Next time an officer attempts to give you a ticket for going twenty mph over the speed limit, say, “There is no truth,” or “No one has the truth.” Or when a third oncologist tells you that you definitely have colon cancer, will you respond by saying, “That is true for you, but not for me,” or “You are intolerant and mean”? You can respond like that and get even more opinions, but the bottom-line is: either it is true you have cancer and better deal with it, or you do not. Perceptions, hopes, opinions, etc., will not change the truth.
No One Can Know for Certain until they Die: True, but the early warning sign you are on unstable ground/thinking is: Do you apply that logic in other life choices? You will not know for certain whether a potential spouse will be the best for you, whether a career is the best for you, whether a chair will hold you up, or whether your brakes will work when approaching a red light. However, you likely do not fail to make a decision about a spouse, choose a career, sit or drive because you are a career, sitting or driving agnostic. We act in faith (trust) with the car, but also check the car when reasonable to do so.
The 2nd warning sign: ask the person why they know that “no one can know,” and then check if they have investigated the evidence, usually people making that claim are ignorant of the evidence available, thereby exposing themselves as just not wanting to look.
It’s All just Faith: As though faith is some fuzzy, non-checkable thing. Faith has 3 parts: 1) Object we have faith in (ex. A chair), 2) What we believe about it (the chair will hold me up), 3) Reasons for our faith (looks sturdy, I hardly ever get dropped by a chair, and I am likely not on a pranked TV show). Faith is simply trusting in something for reasons, and we do this constantly in science and in daily life, we just follow the evidence where it leads.
Is truth important, How will truth impact my life?
“Ladies & gentleman, this is the captain speaking. We would like to thank you for flying Mandarin Airlines. As we taxi out to the runway, please make sure that you are comfortable … For those of you sitting on the right side of the plane, please look to your left, and remember: Flying is the safest way to travel.”
- Is truth important? Depends on the situation.
For instance, there is a truth, which may become clear hours or days later, of whether or not it was better for you to eat, or skip, that second piece of cake. The impact and importance of that truth is likely to be small and insignificant in the big picture of life. On the other hand, in other situations, the truth will impact you in far-ranging and very serious ways.
Is that “black ice” I am driving on?
Is this skin cancer, or will it just go away?
Was carrying out 9/11 an honorable act?
There is a truth behind these situations, and serious results.
Is truth important to me? See it in your daily life & displayed in movies, songs, art.
Throughout your life, you will constantly come across the need to find and use truth, in order to reach what is best for you. Because some things are true and some things are not true, your choice, and the consequences that follow, will come from the beliefs you accept as true – and whether those beliefs fit reality and give you proper guidance or not. Every movie you watch illustrates the point: our choices result from our beliefs, which are founded on either truth, or incorrect understanding, and lead to so much of our experiences and life.
What’s worth sacrificing for? Who do I let into my life? Should I go on the huge ship to start a new life
In America…
Or, maybe not.
Or maybe not.
- Whether a person is standing on TRUE worldview beliefs, or not, is as IMPORTANT as it gets.
The seriousness or importance of something depends on the QQP value discussed in the previous Why Should I Care section.
Some do not recognize the significance of beliefs because the end results of our chosen beliefs usually do not hit us in a single event. Sometimes it does. If you can take a step back to see the big picture of your life, you will notice the immensity of how often and how deep your beliefs guide, support, and bring consequences good/bad to you, which makes sense as your beliefs are your answers to the biggest, guiding questions in life, and the answers to these questions are what you follow to make your choices, and map out your life.
- Objections to truth in beliefs
- Your beliefs do not impact life, so it doesn’t matter what you believe.
- All worldview beliefs are basically the same.
- Beliefs are all just different paths to the top of the mountain.
- It is all just a matter of “faith.”
- It is intolerant, narrow-minded, arrogant, mean, etc., to claim only 1 belief can fit reality.
These objections sound good when you first hear them, and on a shallow level. Unfortunately for the shallow level swimmers, this is where the hidden dangers lurk. Think. Can you find the errors in logic or thinking that make the claims above invalid?
These frequently asked questions or objections are covered one-by-one in the Frequently Asked Questions FAQs folder on the website.
The Bottom-Line
What is truth?
Truth is telling it like it is. Something that is true fits reality, it is true for all people, in all places, in all times, is unchanging, and anything that contradicts truth – is excluded from being true.
Does truth exist?
Of course, and we rely on truth to live life and make choices. Those who object to truth do not have supportable arguments, and cannot live life without contradicting themselves – because truth exists.
ABCDEs of Truth
A. Truth is ABSOLUTE (and unchanging),
B. Truth is EXCLUSIVE, which means truth
C. CAN BE HARD TO HANDLE,
D. Truth brings CONSEQUENCES,
E. Truth can be TESTED
Is truth important to me?
Depends on the situation. Clearly, for some choices, whether your choice is based on something true, or not true, seriously impacts your life. Because your worldview beliefs will impact you in wide-ranging, and in the deepest ways through life, basing your worldview beliefs on truth is as important as it gets.
What is the next logical question to ask?
If there is a truth behind the biggest questions in life (worldview beliefs), then how do I determine what is true and what is not true?
Next Section: Testing Truth
How can we know truth, or find the answers that impact us most?
