The Truth

[Bravus]

Peter Ellerton is a high school teacher of philosophy and physics. He taught my physics education students last year when I was on leave, and is currently on leave from the high school classroom himself, working on a PhD in philosophy.

I liked this article he wrote, and thought it provided some useful ideas around the notion of 'truth': https://theconversation.edu.au/the-truth-the-whole-truth-and-wait-how-many-truths-are-there-6955

Since I tend to try to tell the truth and stand up for the truth around here, but we seem to have different definitions of what that means sometimes, I thought perhaps some more precise ways of thinking about what it means might be useful.

[Tom Wetmore]

Yes, quite helpful to focus on the conceptual range of truth. As I have said before the idea of truth is easily confused with similar concepts such as accuracy, or honesty, or belief, or reality. They're not the same.

Absolute truth? spiritual truth?

Oh, the nightmares of the agnostic mind...

[CoAspen]

Most interesting!

[GoLions]

Good article, we live in a very complex world. If I were a bat, before the bat experts found out that I navigate by sonar, were to tell me I have to navigate by sight, smell or hearing. I would have a lot of headaches by running into things, not to mention starving to death. No, I would still have to navigate by the things they cannot see or know, and let them speculate all they want.

As an uneducated factory worker, barely passing high school nearly 30 years ago. I have no way of knowing what all 'empirical evidence' the scientist have. So, for me I have to filter everything by what I (by experience or subjective truth) know to be truth. That is the word of God. With that said, For me, I will navigate by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:5-12

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

[phkrause]

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Yes a very good article. And I really like verse 12 above. Its really telling. I know that it was directed at the Jews of his time, but its still good for today! Maybe even more so than we can imagine.