Regarding Truth

Truth is a paramount consideration when it comes to living life and particularly so with regard to religious and spiritual matters.  Assuming, in this regard, that (a) we have an afterlife, (b) that our afterlife is substantially longer than our present life--extending into eternity, and (c) the way in which a person lives his or her life affects the quality of such person's afterlife, then the following proposition is true: If a person has a spiritual or religious belief that is not true, then the consequences to that person for embracing that belief could be eternally devastating.  Thus, the quest for truthfulness with regard to religious beliefs should be unending.  Each person should always be asking, "Is what I am believing true?" 

Provided below is a basic outline regarding the nature and assessment of truth.  It can serve as something of a guide in valuing truth and assessing the truthfulness of propositions in general, and it can be used, in particular, with regard to religious propositions.

The Significance of Truth

A. What is truth?  It is that which is reliable; that which can be trusted; that which is factual; that which is consistent with reality.

Ex. Historical: I was born. 

Ex. Political: Barak Obama is President of the United States.

Ex. Physical: Gravity keeps us on the Earth—as opposed to flying from it into space.

Ex. Physical: Barring some highly unusual physical circumstances, if an egg is dropped onto a concrete road with great force, the egg would be damaged to a greater extent than the concrete road would be damaged.

Ex. Physical: All things being typical, a Corvette is faster than a Smart car.

Ex. Social: People who live and work in New York City tend to use public transportation systems.

B. How can we know whether a proposition is true?

1. Objective Experience/Testing/Observation: Using our senses, we can personally experience, test and observe the truthfulness of propositions.

a. Some physical matters can be personally experienced.

Ex. The statement, “If I jump from the ground into the air, I will return to the ground,” can be tested through personal experience. I can repeatedly jump into the air from a variety of locations around the world, and each time, I will always return to the ground. Therefore, I conclude that the proposition is true.

Ex. The statement, “If I eat a lot of food, I will very likely feel full,” can be tested through personal experience. I can repeatedly eat lots of food, and nearly every time, I will feel full. Therefore, I conclude that the proposition is true.

Ex. The statement, “It is raining,” can be compared to the observable state of the outdoor environment, whether through sight, sound, touch, smell or a combination thereof, to determine if the proposition is true.

b. Some social matters can be personally experienced.

Ex. The statement, "If I treat people poorly, they will treat me poorly," can be personally experienced by treating people poorly.

Ex. I can also personally experience the consequences of attempting to show unselfish love for a person.

c. Some physical matters can be objectively tested and observed.

Ex. Scientists can drop chalk into hydrochloric acid and see, hear and feel the reaction, involving the uniting of the calcium and chloride atoms and the release of hydrogen atoms. They can also capture the gas and ignite it, to test for the presence of hydrogen. They can report the outcome of their tests.

d. Some social matters can be tested and observed.

Ex. Observations can be made and documented regarding which types of toys attract the attention of children.

e. Some mental matters can be tested and observed.

Ex. Scientists can test for reaction times by various classes of individuals to certain colors, smells, brightness, etc.

2. Research: Historical matters can be researched.

a. We could seek to obtain eyewitness accounts—the observations of others.

* The more eyewitness accounts, the more reliable we would likely consider the account of the historical statement to be.

* The less interested/prejudiced the eyewitness is in the account, the more reliable we would likely consider the account of the historical statement to be.

b. We can look for documentary evidence.

Ex. Computer reports may document the price at which a particular stock was traded or the amount that exists in a particular bank account.

c. We could look for physical evidence.

* The discovery of physical evidence might confirm or refute a proposition.

 3. Coherence: The truthfulness of a proposition can be evaluated with regard to the extent to which it is consistent with other facts.

Ex. The statement “that thing is a bird” may be based on some elements of truth, such as the fact that the “thing” was flying, and the “thing” has wings. However, other considerations, such as the fact that the “thing” does not have feathers, does not have a beak, is not warm blooded, and does not have a backbone, and that it has antennae and six legs should lead the evaluator to the conclusion that the statement is not coherent with the facts; the “thing” is more likely a locust or grasshopper.

4. Intuition/Instinct/Emotion: We can perhaps, in some instances, intuitively sense the nature and extent of the truthfulness of a proposition (although we typically weigh such sense in relation to other factors).

Ex. A mother may sense that her child is distressed (which sense might typically be suggested by the presence of other, even though subtle, factors such as level of animation, facial expressions, reactions, etc. of the child).

5. Time: We would typically consider a proposition to be credible to the extent that it has endured the test of time.

Ex. The statement, “The Titanic is the most successful movie of all time,” was true until Avatar’s success surpassed that of The Titanic.

C. Why is truth important?

1. Because we rely on it for purposes of making decisions.

Ex. If I run this red light, a camera will take a photo of my license plate, and I will be sent a fine in the mail. Therefore, since I do not want to pay a fine, I decide that I will not run the red light.

Ex. If I pick up a hot coal, I will burn my hand and suffer pain. Therefore, since I do not want to burn my hand or suffer pain, I decide not pick up the hot coal.

Ex. The price of gold is going up, but it could go down. If I invest all of my money in gold, and the price of gold goes down substantially, I will lose a lot of my money. Therefore, since I don’t want to risk losing a lot of my money, I decide not to invest all of my money in gold.

Ex. A jury examines evidence in the form of testimony, documentation and perhaps physical items to determine whether a person is innocent or guilty.

2. Because it gives us a framework for understanding how life should be lived.

Ex. If I believe that people who go to work and earn a good living tend to live more productive and happier lives, then, if I want a more productive and happier life, I would likely go to work and try to earn a good living.

D. What happens if I ignore or reject the truth or simply fail to receive the truth?

1. I could die.

Ex. If, standing atop a 100 story building, I ignore or reject the existence of gravity and step off the edge, then, regardless of my expectations, beliefs or understandings, I will fall to the ground and will die.

2. I could be physically harmed.

Ex. If, holding a glass of bacteria laden eggs, I ignore or reject the reality that consuming the eggs could make me radically sick, and I accordingly drink the eggs, then, regardless of my expectations, beliefs or understandings, I will most likely become radically sick.

3. I could become emotionally harmed.

Ex. If I am placed in solitary confinement and darkness for a year, then regardless of my expectations, beliefs or understandings regarding my reaction to being in such an environment, I will most likely become emotionally harmed as a result of such confinement.

4. I could misapprehend reality.

Ex. April Fools’ Day jokes are designed to make people think that something false is actually true. However, a person’s belief, for example, that aliens have landed in NYC and begun attacking the planet, doesn’t change the fact that aliens have not, in fact, landed in NYC and begun attacking the planet. The truth being the contrary, the believer in the lie is simply duped and made the fool.

Of course, sometimes being duped can lead to harmful or deadly consequences, when the above duped person acts to avoid being captured by the aliens.

 5. I could be financially harmed.

Ex. An announcement is made that Super Drug Corporation has just discovered the cure to cancer. As the company’s stock price begins to rise in response, I quickly invest all my money in that company’s stock. It is then discovered that the announcement was issued by a disgruntled employee who wanted to hurt the company. The stock price plummets, and I lose a substantial portion of my money.

6. I could be spiritually harmed.

Ex. If x is the truth, and x leads to eternal life and happiness, and believing anything other than x leads me to eternal judgment and unhappiness, then believing y or z, instead of x, will lead me to eternal judgment and unhappiness.

7. Others could suffer harm.

Ex. A sign reads “Stop. Bridge Out.” A bus driver’s ignoring the sign could lead to adverse consequences to the passengers on the bus.

E. What truth(s) apply(ies) to me or my circumstances such that I should assure myself that I accept it(them) as such and conduct myself accordingly?  This is the ultimate question for each person.  The outcome of our response is perhaps the most substantial outcome of our existence.

Conclusion: Truth is extremely valuable for our lives, and, in the case of religious or spiritual matters, my beliefs can affect my eternal destiny.  Thus, each person must seek to determine whether his or her belief is based on truth.  While not every criterion for assessing the truthfulness of religious and spiritual propositions is necessarily available to us (for example, we cannot scientifically test for the presence of a soul), we can certainly use those tools that are available.


Mark Absher

 
 

google facebook youtube ebay yahoo weather amazon maps netflix walmart news paypal target pinterest zillow prime chase costco pandora hulu kohls airlines