INTRODUCTION TO THE

PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN
PERSON
 EXPLORE
MODULE 2. The Value of Truth Choose a word from the box below.
1. Write down other related words or ideas that you can think of in relation to the
At the end of this module, you are expected to: word that you chose.
2. Write your answer in the space provided.
1. Distinguish opinion from truth
2. Realize that the methods of philosophy lead to wisdom and truth
3. Evaluate truth from opinions in different situations using the methods of
philosophizing

ENGAGE
Study the picture below. Answer the following sentences below if it is a
FACT or an OPINION. Put a check (/) if it is a FACT and a (x) if it is an OPINION
in the left side of the sentence.

Photo by: Wikeversity

EXPLAIN
Do you believe that you are rational? The critical aspect in doing
philosophy is rational inquiry. Logic, one of the branches of philosophy, is even
dedicated to the discovery of principles for correct reasoning. Immanuel Kant
claimed that reasoning has the peculiar fate in its cognitions to be burdened by
questions it cannot dismiss since it was it was given to him as problems by reason
itself.

When you reason, you find an explanation adequate to prove that what
you believe is true. As you learned in the previous module, reason itself requires a
test that what you espouse is consistent with the world- meaning you are certain
that what you say or assert is verifiable and can be validated in the physical world.
When you participate actively in a community of inquiry, how do you decide when
to accept that the answer is better and defensible than other?
Photo by: Study.com

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THE NATURE OF BELIEF
Belief, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, refers to the acceptance that a
statement is true or that something exists. It is considered as a firmly held opinion
or conviction. The dictionary even lists belief as synonymous to opinion.
Conception of belief in the contemporary period extends to include the
forms of representation of a belief. For example, your belief that “table is wooden”
is the qualitative form of the said belief because it refers to the quality of the object
of your belief. On the other hand, the degree of your belief that “ the table is
wooden” is higher that the degree of your belief that “ the table will last for the next
ten years” is the quantitative form because it refers to the quantitative character
(represented by the length of time it will last) of the object of your belief.
Philosopher are also concerned about the object of belief. What is it that
one accepts or assents when one has a belief? Some philosophers claim that
believing as a propositional attitude is directed toward the propositions or
statements about the object of belief. The object of belief is the representation of
the fact found in the world or truth conditions about the world. The structure of the
belief “S believes that P is true”, where S is the person and P is the representation
of the belief. Take a look at the example.
Lily believes that she is in Batangas.
In the example, Lily is the agent S who has a mental state or attitude
toward what represents the conditions that she is in Batangas City. In the
structure of belief mentioned earlier, the variable P, as the representation of her
belief, must state the truth conditions that will make Lily believe that she is,
indeed, in Batangas City. Remember, to believe is to comprehend or affirm. Thus,
for Lily to believe, she has to know truth condition is represented by the
proposition. “Lily is situated 112 kilometers south of Rizal’s monument in Luneta.”
If this situation obtained, then Lily can affirm her belief.
THE NATURE OF TRUTH
What is truth? How would you determine if your beliefs are true? The
following theories will help you understand the value of truth and how each theory
is used to determine the truth of beliefs or propositions.
CORRESPONDENCE THEORY OF TRUTH
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN PERSON
The correspondence theory of truth states that the key to truth is the
relation (correspondence) between propositions and the world. This means that “a
belief is true if there exists an appropriate entity- a fact- to which it corresponds. If
there is no such entity the belief is false.” Take for example this proposition:
There is a water fountain in front of Cultural Center of the Philippines.
The correspondence theory of truth compares the given proposition and
the truth condition or state of affairs that will make the proposition true. Thus, for
the above propositions to be true, there must be a fact in the world where:
 There is such a thing as water fountain;
 There is a place called Cultural Center of the Philippines; and
 The water fountain is in front of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
The Correspondence Theory of Truth is probably the most common and
widespread way of understanding the nature of truth and falsehood. Put quite
simply, the Correspondence Theory argues that “truth” is whatever corresponds to
reality. An idea which corresponds with reality is true while an idea which does not
correspond with reality is false.
 
It is important to note here that “truth” is not a property of “facts.” This may seem
odd at first, but a distinction is being made here between facts and beliefs. A fact
is some set of circumstances in the world while a belief is an opinion about those
what those facts are. A fact cannot be either true or false, it simply is because that
is the way the world is. A belief, however, is capable of being true or false
because it may or may not accurately describe the world.
Under the Correspondence Theory of Truth, the reason why we label certain
beliefs as “true” is because they correspond to those facts about the world. Thus,
the belief that the sky is blue is a “true” belief because of the fact that the sky is
blue. Along with beliefs, we can count statements, propositions, sentences, etc.
as capable of being true or false.
THE COHERENCE THEORY OF TRUTH
The Coherence Theory of truth is probably second in popularity to the
Correspondence Theory even though it often seems to be an accurate description
of how our conception of truth actually works. Put simply: a belief is true when we
are able to incorporate it in an orderly and logical manner into a larger and
complex system of beliefs or, even more simply still, a belief is true when it fits in
with the set of all our other beliefs without creating a contradiction.
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Sometimes this seems like an odd way to actually describe truth. After all, a belief
can be an inaccurate description of reality and fit in with a larger, complex system
of further inaccurate descriptions of reality, according to the Coherence Theory,
that inaccurate belief would still be called “truth” even though it didn’t actually
describe the way the world really was. Does that really make any sense?
Well, possibly … the reason is because statements can’t really be verified in
isolation. Whenever you test an idea, you are also actually testing a whole set of
ideas at the same time. For example, when you pick up a ball in your hand and
drop it, it isn’t simply our belief about gravity which is tested but also our beliefs
about a host of other things, not least of which would be the accuracy of our visual
perception.
THE PRAGMATIC THEORY OF TRUTH
The Pragmatic Theory of truth determines whether or not a belief is true or not
based on whether it has a useful (pragmatic) application in the world. If it does
not, then it is not true. As with Coherence Theory, truth in this sense is nothing to
do with the way the world ‘really is’ but is just a function of whether an idea can be
used as a model to make useful predictions about what is going to happen in the
world. As a result pragmatic truths can only be learnt through interaction with the
world: we don’t discover truth by sitting alone in a room and thinking about it.
 
There are, of course, a number of obvious objections that can be raised against
the Pragmatic Theory of Truth. For one thing, the notion of “what works” is very
ambiguous. What happens when a belief works in one sense, but fails in another?
For example, a belief that one will succeed may give a person the psychological
strength needed to accomplish a great deal but in the end, they may fail in their
ultimate goal. Was their belief “true”? According to the mrhoyestokwebsite.com 
opinion. However of he or she provides sufficient and strong factual evidence for
his or her disliking the songs then it leads to establish truth.
COMPARISON BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM
The word knowledge is defined first as the “acquaintance with facts, truths
or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition.” 
Wisdom is defined as “the state of being wise,” which means “having the power of
discernment and judging properly as to what is true or right:
possessing discernment, judgement, or discretion.”
The primary difference between the two words is that wisdom involves a
healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a
subject while knowledge is simply knowing. Anyone can become knowledgeable
about a subject by reading, researching, and memorizing facts. It’s wisdom,
however, that requires more understanding and the ability to determine which
facts are relevant in certain situations. Wisdom takes knowledge and applies it
with discernment based on experience, evaluation, and lessons learned.
A quote by an unknown author sums up the differences well: “Knowledge is
knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.” 
EXTEND
What can you say about the picture below? Write your reflection in the
provided.

OPINION’S PURPOSE

There is a clear difference between truth and opinion. Truth requires that a
particular claim or statement must have sufficient and supporting evidence and
not just a mere statement of belief with no evidence at all. Statements of truth are
supported by verifiable or observable facts, objective, universally acceptable, and
impersonal. Opinions, on the other hand is based on mere personal unsupported
belief. Opinion is derived from one’s expression of feelings rather than on
evidence and observable facts. Statements of opinion do not require proofs and
facts unlike statement of truth. When you says that he or she hates listening to _________________________________________________________________
Coldplay’s songs because of some unknown reason, he or she expresses an _________________________________________________________________
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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN PERSON
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EVALUATE
Supply relevant information on the topics below. Prepare a 2-3 paragraph
essay for each topic. Make sure that you include your resources and you have
read the article thoroughly.

1. DepEd Kto12 Program

2. School Rules and Regulations

3. The Philippine Political Structure

Your answer will be evaluated by the following criteria:

Content - 60% (12 points)
Grammar - 20% (4 points)
Clarity - 20% (4 points)
TOTAL - 100% (20 points)

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN PERSON
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