what is truth anyway?

Websters

Truth- the actual state of a matter. To conform with the fact of the matter.
A verified or indisputible fact. The state of character being true.

There is relative truth - that which is true within the realm of a specific context, and there is absolute truth - that which is true regardless of context.

Relative truth is the kind of truth that you seem to be describing, and yes, this version of truth fluxuates with changes in the contextual environment that contains it.

Absolute truth is like A+B=C therefore C-A=B, whereas relative truth is where you assign specific identifiers to the letters in this equation (adding context) and cause the equation to possibly become false as a result. Ex; A=coffee, B=chocolate and C=mocha. Suddenly this equation is no longer an equation, but becomes a recipe that is only half true (Coffee + Chocolate = Mocha therefore Mocha - Coffee = Chocolate) since in truth, once blended, the Chocolate cannot actually be subtracted from the Coffee, and anyone knows that.

The context that has been added to this logic equation (A=Coffee, B=Chocolate and C=Mocha) has changed the mechanics of the equation itself, and has changed the equation from being true to being false. This is what context does to truth. Once context is introduced, absolute truth is no longer possible. The statement can still be true, but it is always subject to potential revision, since that truth is now vulnerable to shifts in contextual relationships within that truth or between that truth and whatever else that may exist that impacts that truth.

Absolute truth is extremely simple. Relative truth can be infinitely complex.

Originally posted by kaleshchand
Truth is simply truth. Do not try to overcomplicate it, because it really is that simple, it is so simple that I am finding it difficult to explain.

I'll give an example. The sun rises everyday on earth. Now lets say someone is kept in a closed room deep underground where he never sees the sun, he is never told about it. To him the sun does not exist. But that does not mean that the fact that sun rises everyday is false, or it is not the truth, though that particular person may deny it.

Not really.
There is no truth or lie, only different perspectives.

You say it's true that the sun rises everyday on earth. I say that's not the truth.
I say the sun does not "rise", but the earth is rotating around it's axis, giving us the appearance of a rising sun.

You see, we are both telling the "truth", we just have different perspectives.
We can view EVERYTHING in this manner.

How can you be sure that there even is a sun?
Have you been there? I'm pretty sure you havent. All you've seen are pictures, like everyone else. Maybe it's just a giant flashlight, with a holographic projection of a "sun" installed by some alien life form.

Is it possible that there is an invisible layer of some kind of dark matter, unkown to human kind, enveloping all planets in our solar system, bending all light coming our way, and thus giving us a false appearance of our sun and everything else in the universe? I dont see why not, anything is possible. You said it yourself, just beacuse we cant see something doesnt mean it isnt there.

So you see, you cant say this is the truth, or this is a lie.
To you something may appear as true, but to someone with a different perspective it appears to be the opposite.

reply to post by GoodFella


hi goodfella, you say so i guess for what you dont want to separate subjective true and objective truth, and my guess is that you are a god lover that is the professionnal of mixing everything together and say being the king only one

you cant say about truth being a matter of perspective, it is crazy if there is a perspective first it is easily justified second it is never a truth
truth is a certainty that determin conditions of all existence from its relation to its objective absolute life

that is why it is always easy to recognize a truth it is the most obvious since nothing can contradict it then it is the only thing absolutely positive anywhere

and please truth cannot be equal to lies, when lies exist only from truth reference

Originally posted by Dock9

Truth is simply truth. Do not try to overcomplicate it

Exactly


Did you eat that special cake I baked for someone else ?

Did you steal ten dollars from my purse ?

Did you exceed the speed limit ?

Did you drink and drive ?

Did you betray your spouse by sleeping with someone else ?

Did you kick that puppy ?


Yes or no ? No need to spin it




.

[edit on 22-3-2010 by Dock9]

interesting point but, not all questions are that simple
there are people out there who say that the truth isn't an answer like many of us would think.
there are statements out there like "jesus is the truth"
stuff like that but i don't know. But how can a person be the truth?

Originally posted by GoodFella

Originally posted by kaleshchand
Truth is simply truth. Do not try to overcomplicate it, because it really is that simple, it is so simple that I am finding it difficult to explain.

I'll give an example. The sun rises everyday on earth. Now lets say someone is kept in a closed room deep underground where he never sees the sun, he is never told about it. To him the sun does not exist. But that does not mean that the fact that sun rises everyday is false, or it is not the truth, though that particular person may deny it.

Not really.
There is no truth or lie, only different perspectives.

You say it's true that the sun rises everyday on earth. I say that's not the truth.
I say the sun does not "rise", but the earth is rotating around it's axis, giving us the appearance of a rising sun.

You see, we are both telling the "truth", we just have different perspectives.
We can view EVERYTHING in this manner.

How can you be sure that there even is a sun?
Have you been there? I'm pretty sure you havent. All you've seen are pictures, like everyone else. Maybe it's just a giant flashlight, with a holographic projection of a "sun" installed by some alien life form.

Is it possible that there is an invisible layer of some kind of dark matter, unkown to human kind, enveloping all planets in our solar system, bending all light coming our way, and thus giving us a false appearance of our sun and everything else in the universe? I dont see why not, anything is possible. You said it yourself, just beacuse we cant see something doesnt mean it isnt there.

So you see, you cant say this is the truth, or this is a lie.
To you something may appear as true, but to someone with a different perspective it appears to be the opposite.

sounds to me like there is no unifying truth from that statement
interesting post

as for the invisible lair and fake sun makes me wonder if were all just hooked up to some virtual reality that we think is real like the matrix lol
very thought invoking

Truth is the Ultimate, the Absolute, that which truly exists, the Eternal Reality behind all things corporeal.