What is Truth?

Do you believe truth is subjective or objective? 

Truth is a surprisingly complex term to define, noting that the definition of the word varies between most individuals. We rely on it all the time and it's very "close" to us. Yet it's difficult to define because as soon as you think you have it pinned down, some case or counterexample immediately shows deficiencies. Ironically, every definition of truth that philosophers have developed falls prey to the question, "Is it true?". To ascertain or believe something personally Is not enough to make it true or to validate it. If this was the norm, then the claim that “to believe something does not make it true” could be argued as well. What is the nature of this “truth”? How do people know when something is the truth?   

 In our presentation, we will be talking about famous philosophers’ points of view (ie. Plato, Socrates and William James) and theories about the term. In his allegory of the cave, Plato addresses the question whether human life is to commensurate with truth. This question is especially relevant to education. For education to take place, there must be present a minimal capacity for understanding and knowledge in the student. This is the capacity for inference.  

Socrates states that one cannot put sight into blind eyes, suggesting that some individuals have an innate disposition to envision the nature of truth. This means that an individual’s capacity for learning already exists in the soul. This is facilitated by the teacher, Plato tells us, who effectively positions the soul to view the world of Being in opposition to Becoming. This is the case with the prisoners who reflect about the nature of the figures that they see reflected on the wall. It is these prisoners who can benefit most from education, given that education, in Plato’s estimation, should serve as a guide that undertakes the task of turning the soul around to face truth.   

 According to William James, anything that functions and is useful in our lives is true. Pragmatic ideas about truth are often confused with the quite distinct notions of "logic and inquiry", "judging what is true", and "truth predicates" because the word pragmatic means dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.  However, James’ theory makes the term “truth” much less complex because therefore science is true, religion is true, and anything that works efficiently in our lives is true. 

In conclusion, truth is generally what a person or group of people believes, therefore, truth is a property not so much of thoughts and ideas but more properly of beliefs and assertions. Truth has many different definitions- the quality or state of being true, that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality, and a fact or belief that is accepted as true. 

• Did Plato believe truth was objective or subjective? 
• What’s the difference in scientific truth and philosophical truth? 
• What did Plato and other Greek thinkers believe truth delivered us from? 
• What did Plato believe had to be in place in order for someone to learn? 

• Do our perceptions create our truths or do our truths create our perceptions?