QUESTIONS TRUTH

PHILOSOPHY
- The way or the process by which we can
distinguish claims that are true from those that are
false.
Domains of Truth
Jürgen Habermas - philosopher and
sociologist in the tradition of critical
theory and pragmatism

Objective Domain
-this pertains to the natural world that maintains a relative independence from the perspective and
attitude of the human beings that perceive them.
Ex: Typhoon season comes and go, whether or not we want. Water’s boiling point remains 100 degrees Celsius and will
remain so even if a powerful tyrant wants to change it.
Social Domain
“truth” is analogous with of a general agreement or concensus on what is right as opposed to what is
wrong.
Ex: A chapel for prayer and meditation, we say that maintaining silence is good. But in a basketball
game, we say we should cheer for our team as loudly as we can to keep them motivated.

Some things are true/good in a particular context, while they are false/wrong in another
context.
Truths
-Products of an “agreement” in society that has been established over time.
Because of time-honored presence, they are hardly questioned by anyone. Values and norms appear
Personal Domain
- Where truth is analogous to sincerity.

Ex: When you say to another person, “ I am telling the truth,” what you usually mean by
that statement is that out statement is consistent with our inner thoughts and intentions.

Truths 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 and therefore can be trusted
Truth and Justification
Truth can be understood as what has passed “procedures of justification”. (Rorty, 1989)

Justification – the process of proving the truth or validity of a statement. This process
is made up of ways of critically testing a claim against certain criteria.
Scientific/Objective Domain – truths are tested against empirical evidence.
Social Domain – truths are tested against their acceptability to a particular group in
particular time in history.
Personal Domain – truths are tested against consistency and authenticity of the
person who claims it.