by Mister Rogers on March 20th, 2007

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What is "Truth"?

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Answers. 24 helpful answers below.

by HasntBeen on October 23rd, 2008
Truth is reality, just as it is. The trouble is, when one attempts to talk about truth, what usually happens is that we get bogged down in trying to sort out whether or not our *concepts* are truthful and accurate. What solves that is the realization that concepts are never completely truthful and accurate, they are at best approximations of an artificially fragmented aspect of reality. Some truth is always sacrificed in the process of conceptualizing.

Truth itself is never in danger, no matter what we believe or how confused we are. But truth cannot be captured in concepts: thus those who know don't tell, and those who tell don't know.
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- Hmmmm. But you're telling?
  
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  by palmagma on January 3rd, 2009
- The "telling" refers to people declaring that they have The Truth(tm) and are going to give it to others. It doesn't mean "never say anything about the topic".
  
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  by HasntBeen on January 4th, 2009
- Mind you, this question could be said to
  be soliciting a fundamental definition.
  Ain't that the truth?
  
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  by palmagma on January 4th, 2009
- I'm basically saying that you can't get truth out of a definition. The process of rendering reality into language introduces ineradicable distortions -- you can get "truth" if you constrain the playing field, such as what happens in mathematics: by taking an area of mathematics and defining the terms and rules very strictly, you can prove various axioms. But if you back the camera up from that narrow playing field, it's easy to produce paradoxes and other nonsensical outcomes by combining axioms from unrelated fields.
  
  The act of carving reality up into concepts produces useful ideas, but sacrifices absolute truth. As long as everybody understands that, no problem. But of course people don't understand that and beat each other up with their absolute truths.
  
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  by HasntBeen on January 4th, 2009
- Sometimes you sound positively reasonable :]
  
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  by palmagma on January 4th, 2009
- Sometimes you can sound positively reasonable. :]
  
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  by palmagma on January 4th, 2009
- And sometimes Answerbag comments get a bit tangled up!
  
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  by palmagma on January 4th, 2009
- Seems like comment posting is a chronic area of failures. I remember having complaints about that back in 2006! :)
  
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  by HasntBeen on January 4th, 2009
- Do you help run the website?
  
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  by palmagma on January 5th, 2009
- Oh no! I ain't takin the blame for none o' dis! :)
  
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  by HasntBeen on January 5th, 2009
- he he :)
  
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  by palmagma on January 5th, 2009
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by Science Geek on March 21st, 2007
This is a dangerous question to ask. Truth is irrevocably subjective. Why?

Because "truth" is simply a word to define a human mental construct that has neither feel nor form.

Therefore, because no two humans are alike, only he/she who asks the question "what is truth?" can answer that question.

Look into your heart, there you'll find your answer.
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- Is it a bit like beauty?
  
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  by palmagma on January 3rd, 2009
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by PrettyPirate on March 20th, 2007
There is no single definition of truth about which the majority of scholars agree, and many theories of truth (often involving different definitions of "truth") continue to be debated. There are differing claims on such questions as what constitutes truth; how to define and identify truth; what roles do revealed and acquired knowledge play; and whether truth is subjective, relative, objective, or absolute. This article introduces the various perspectives and claims, both today and throughout history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth
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- Ain't that the truth!
  
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  by palmagma on January 3rd, 2009
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by TERRYTUKER on October 23rd, 2008
pick one
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by ImaCatholic2 on October 23rd, 2008
God is Truth.

The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever." (Psalm 119:160)

"And now, O LORD God, you are God, and your words are true." (2 Samuel 7:28)

This is why God's promises always come true. (Deuteronomy 7:9)

God is Truth itself, whose words cannot deceive. This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things.

The beginning of sin and of man's fall was due to a lie of the tempter who induced doubt of God's word, kindness and faithfulness.

God's truth is his wisdom, which commands the whole created order and governs the world. See Wisdom 13:1-9.

God, who alone made heaven and earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing in relation to himself. See Psalm 115:15 and Wisdom 7:17-21.

God is also truthful when he reveals himself - the teaching that comes from God is "true instruction". (Malachi 2:6.)

When he sends his Son into the world it will be "to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37)

"We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true." (I John 5:20; cf. John 17:3)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

With love in Christ.
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by Someguy on October 23rd, 2008
my version of it or yours? There is a truth out there. There is a factual version of events and a set order to the Universe. Now, with that said we as humans see reality (truth) through our own lenses and these lenses bend the light of truth to fit our needs. Neither my version of the truth over time is correct, nor is yours. We have moments of clarity where someone is right and someone is wrong, but over time we even bend the histories towards our wills.
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by Squirrel Face on July 11th, 2008
Truth:

1. the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.
2. conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.
3. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.
4. the state or character of being true.
5. actuality or actual existence.
6. an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.
7. honesty; integrity; truthfulness.
8. (often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.
9. agreement with a standard or original.
10. accuracy, as of position or adjustment.
11. Archaic. fidelity or constancy.
—Idiom
12. in truth, in reality; in fact; actually: In truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire.
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- Yes, a dictionary helps.
  
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  by palmagma on January 3rd, 2009
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by palmagma on January 3rd, 2009
Truth like beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
Nonetheless, when it comes to theory,
truth may be said
to be the simplest explanation
that accounts for all of the known facts.
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by CaRbOnPrOdUcK is Baccuss on October 23rd, 2008
What is meaning of question aboutt truth, truth the defenition, the meaning, the concept the spelling the synonym, the antonym, the same the opposite?
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by Jimmyp on October 23rd, 2008
Truth? Truth is what you think it is. There is no real truth. You can't get truth from other people, just their idea of it. It's what you believe it is.
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- Are you saying your statement is true?
  
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  by HasntBeen on October 23rd, 2008
- I believe it, anyway.
  
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  by Jimmyp on October 24th, 2008
- So you just said there is "no real truth", and at the same time, you're asserting that your statement is true. Isn't that a self-defeating contradiction?
  
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  by HasntBeen on October 24th, 2008
- You can believe something an it not be truth, I guess.
  
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  by Jimmyp on October 24th, 2008
- If there's no truth, then what good is believing anything? Seems like an exercise in silliness.
  
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  by HasntBeen on October 24th, 2008
- It is no use. 100 years from now, you won't care anyway.
  
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  by Jimmyp on October 24th, 2008
- I'll be dead, and so will you. What does that have to do with truth?
  
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  by HasntBeen on October 25th, 2008
- Nothing. Just, don't worry about truth.
  
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  by Jimmyp on October 25th, 2008
- You realize this makes no sense at all, yes?
  
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  by HasntBeen on October 25th, 2008
- Neither does thinking about real truth
  
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  by Jimmyp on October 25th, 2008
- That's not correct. While it's true that the absolute truth cannot be captured in ideas, that does not mean it doesn't exist, or that there's no point in thinking about it. Coming to grips with the nature of truth (reality) is crucial to one's cognitive development.
  
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  by HasntBeen on October 25th, 2008
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by Anonymous on October 23rd, 2008
Most religious traditions have a body of doctrine that adherents of that religion view as truth. This may take the form of a creed or catechism, it may refer to a book such as the Bible or the Koran, or it may be an unwritten code shared by believers. Unlike scientific truth or observed truth, religious truth often makes the claim of being either revealed or inspired by God.

When there is a clash between religious truth and scientific truth, various methods have been used to reconcile the two. During the Middle Ages, for example, there was conflict between Roman Catholic dogma on the one hand and an emerging body of scientific knowledge on the other. Sometimes the established church sought to suppress scientific truth, as in the case of Galileo, but sometimes the two truths were allowed to coexist, which led to the doctrine of the two truths. According to this compromise, there is a lesser truth, scientific truth, which holds that the earth orbits the sun, and a greater truth, religious truth, that holds that the earth is the fixed center of the universe. According to the doctrine of the two truths, these two truths were both true in their own sphere.

The modern Roman Catholic church has rejected the doctrine of two truths, and accepts as true all scientific truth. Christian Fundamentalism claims that religious truth should be accepted by scientists, and that if science were not corrupt it would recognize, for example, the occurrence of a world-wide flood. Thus the conflict between religious truth and scientific truth continues.
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by il capo on October 23rd, 2008
truth is reality?
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by Cowboy-Matter of Fact on October 21st, 2007
This is simple at first glance, but becomes very complex rapidly upon closer inspection. I have been studying and contemplating this for a while and I still do not have a clear, concise definition. Nor do I think one is possible. What constitutes the "truth" is a very slippery answer to grab.
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by Route 66Truckerman on August 20th, 2009
The truth is out there!!
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by patio4it (tumblr) on June 26th, 2009
Truth is something nobody can deny.
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by - M.C.S. - Dave on October 21st, 2007
The opposite from False........M.C.S.
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by loveschimps on September 13th, 2007
absolute facts
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by evandad on August 20th, 2009
About what?
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by Merriment on August 20th, 2009
Elusive
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by peterpam on October 17th, 2009
Do you want the truth or simply something that pleases you?
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by HungryGuy on October 17th, 2009
2 + 2 = 4
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by NoWhereMan on October 17th, 2009
Whatever you believe it to be. Let others have their own opinions.
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by - alluseek - on October 17th, 2009
If you have to ask, you can't handle the truth.
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by Special K on August 20th, 2009
the truth is that in all likelyhood this planet will be taken over by artificial intelligence that will be millions of times smarter than humans. this has happened on other planets in all likelyhood. also the bible is made up as well as most of the paranormal.
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What is "Truth"?

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