DETERMINING TRUTH

TRUTH, FACT AND OPINION

Fact and truth are different

FACT – piece of information having objective reality

which is acknowledged by the GREATER WHOLE.

TRUTH – is a proposition/statement believed to be

ABSOLUTE (complete and total) reality

OPINION – judgment based on personal

convictions which maybe factual, truthful or false
 THEORIES OF TRUTH

CORRESPONDENCE THEORY (realist) –

truth of a proposition is determined by its
relationship (correspondence) to the way things
actually are in the world of reality
A proposition is true if, and only if, what it contends
relates to what is real.
Truth therefore, corresponds to facts; hence truth is
absolute.
Example: “birds can fly” is true because in reality,
birds can really fly
 THEORIES OF TRUTH

CORRESPONDENCE THEORY – coined by the

analytic language philosophers:

 BERTRAND RUSSELL
 LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN

One dilemma of correspondence theory is whether

the words or statements could adequately represent
the things in reality.
 THEORIES OF TRUTH

COHERENCE THEORY (idealist) – a

proposition is true if it is consistent with a system of
other propositions considered true
It puts premium to the culture of a person and
his/her set of beliefs as imposed by the society.

Example:
“pigs are unclean animals” is true for Muslim
community, but such truth is not shared by
Christians
 THEORIES OF TRUTH

PRAGMATIC THEORY – a proposition is true if

it is useful
Pragmatics linked the nature of truth with the
principle of action and the concept of utility.
It contends that judgment must be continually
verified and validated by having close encounter and
interaction with the world.
In order to know the truth, a person must engage
oneself with something that would give him/her the
benefit or the highest form of success.
 THEORIES OF TRUTH

Example:
“belief in the power of prayer” is true as it is needed
for one’s salvation

According to Sigmund Freud, many people, in order

to avoid despair, need to believe there is a God who
keeps a watchful eye on everyone.
 FALLACIES

Aside from truth theories, a person can determine

the truth by looking into the error in reasoning
(judgment).
FALLACIES – are arguments that deceive and
prove nothing

 These arguments somehow could sound

convincing and be very persuasive in order to
shape other’s opinion and deliver flawed
judgment and reason
 FALLACIES

FALLACY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Ad hominem Attacking the “You are
individual person irritatingly ugly,
instead of the that is why you
argument cannot be
promoted.”
Appeal to force Telling the hearer “You have to pass
that something bad this text message to
will happen to 10 people or else
him/her if he/she you will receive bad
does not accept the luck.”
argument
 FALLACIES

FALLACY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Appeal to pity Urging the hearer “I cannot take the
to accept the exam. You have to
argument based consider, my dog
upon an appeal to just died.”
emotions,
sympathy, etc.
Appeal to popular Urging the hearer “Every body wants
opinion to accept a position him/her to be
because majority of president; we
the people hold to should support
it him/her too.”
 FALLACIES

FALLACY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Appeal to tradition Trying to get “We have been
someone to accept doing this since
something because time immemorial,
it has been done or therefore this is the
believed for a long right thing to do.”
time
Begging the Assuming the thing “I am pretty
question that you are trying because my mom
to prove is true said I am pretty,
and I believe her.”
 FALLACIES

FALLACY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Appeal to tradition Trying to get “We have been
someone to accept doing this since
something because time immemorial,
it has been done or therefore this is the
believed for a long right thing to do.”
time
Begging the Assuming the thing “I am pretty
question that you are trying because my mom
to prove is true said I am pretty,
and I believe her.”
 FALLACIES

FALLACY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Fallacy of Assuming that “Hydrogen (H) is
composition what is true of the air, Oxygen (O) is
part is true to the air, therefore H2O
whole is air.”
Fallacy of division Assuming that “Her entire family
what is true of the is a family of
whole is true for beauty queens. I
the parts am sure she will be
a beauty queen
too.”
 FALLACIES

FALLACY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Fallacy of Using the same “Her grandmother
equivocation term in an loves to eat apples
argument in but she is the apple
different places but of the eye of her
the word has grandmother. I’m
different meanings sure her
grandmother will
have a hard time
eating her.”