LESSON 2A: UNDERSTANDING TRUTH
NOTE:
OUTLINE
I What is Truth?
A 3 Domains of Truth
B Truth & Justification
C How Do We Use Philosophy To Figure Out What Is True?
WHAT IS TRUTH?
 Scientific Truth – based on facts, verified in the natural
world.
 Objective Truth - points to descriptions of state of affairs
which remains true regardless of who is viewing them.
 “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what
isn’t true; the other is to refuse to accept what is true.” –
Soren Kierkegaard
ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF
THOUGHT IN PHILOSOPHY:
 Phenomenology: Truth is based on the person’s
consciousness.
 Existentialism: Truth is based in exercising choices and
personal freedom.
 Postmodernism: Truth is not absolute.
 Logic: Truth is based on reasoning and critical thinking.
3 DOMAINS OF TRUTH
 Objective domain: Truth is based on natural world that
maintains a relative independence from the perspective
and attitude of human beings that perceive them.
o Examples:
 The Philippines is an archipelago.
 It is found in Southeast Asia.
 Asia is the largest continent.
 Personal Domain: Truth is analogous with “sincerity”;
truths that are claimed in this domain need corresponding
actions that will establish trust. A person who proves to be
consistent with what he declares about himself is regarded
as authentic.
o Examples:
 Jose Rizal is a hero.
 GMA is a very good economist.
 I am a Christian.
 Social Domain: Truth is analogous with a general
statement or consensus on what is right as opposed to
what is wrong. Truths in this domain are mostly products of
an “agreement” in society that has been established over
time.
o Examples:
 Filipino women are monogamous
 Some women in Brazil can have more than one
husband.
 Women in Korea keep their family name after
marriage.
1
 So when we ask: What is Truth?, it is important to know
from what domain we are asking the question so we can
also know in what way we can test whether or not a claim
is true.
TRUTH AND JUSTIFICATION
 Justification
o The process of proving the truth or validity of a
statement.
o Made up of ways of critically testing a claim against
certain criteria.
o “Truth is simply a compliment paid to sentences seen
to be paving their way.” – Richard Rorty
 Note: Richard Rorty, an American pragmatist
philosopher argues that truth can be understood
as what has passed procedures of justification.
HOW CAN TRUTH BE JUSTIFIED?
 Scientific/Objective domain: truths are tested against
empirical evidence.
 Social Domain: truths are tested against their acceptability
to a particular group in a particular time in history.
 Personal Domain: truths are tested against the
consistency and authenticity of the person who claims it.
HOW DO WE USE PHILOSOPHY TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IS TRUE?
 Correspondence Theory
o States that something is true is it corresponds to
reality or the actual state of affairs (Abella, 2016).
o Statement = Fact
o Examples:
 Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia.
 A mammal is a warm blooded animal.
 Coherence Theory
o Proposes that something is true if it makes sense when
placed in a certain situation or context (Abella,
2016).
o Justify this sentences:
 Pigs are unclean.
 Abortion is an acceptable practice.
 Constructivist Theory
o Maintains that what is true is shaped by an
individual’s society and culture (Abella, 2016).
o Constructivism – Knowledge and meaning come from
your own experiences.
o Justify this sentences:
 Marriage is a contract between two consenting
adults.
 Divorce is a legal way to end marriage.
 Consensus Theory
o Views knowledge based on agreement thus
something is true if everyone agrees with it (Abella,
2016).
 Understanding Truth

o Justify this sentences:

 Pluto is a planet.
 Pluto is a dwarf planet.

 Pragmatic Theory
o Maintains that something is true if we can put it into
practice or is useful in real life (Abella, 2016).
o Consider these ideas:
 Mathematical concepts.
 Chemical elements.