2. In today’s society, we encounter a lot of information
from various sources such as the media and our
interactions with our friends, family, and members of the
community. Most of the information we receive is
helpful, but some may mislead us or may even be utterly
false. Every day we are confronted with news, claims
and announcements from our peers, family members,
figures of authority, the government, and media.
How do we know if they telling the truth?
3. Philosophers often grapple with the concept of truth.
Knowledge must be truthful to gain validity and
acceptance. For example, when we answer a “True or
False” test, we judge if the statements we read are true
or false. This means that statements may have truth or
may not have truth. Statements about the world or
reality are called propositions and these propositions
may or may not carry truth. Propositions are usually
stated as short statements or sentences.
4. WHAT IS TRUTH AND WHY IS IT
IMPORTANT?
Knowledge is the clear awareness and
understanding of something. It is the product of
questions that allow for clear answers provided
by the facts. Our knowledge is comprised of
ideas and beliefs that we know to be true.
5. One important aspect of knowledge- it is based on
reality. This simply means that what we know is what is
observable or evident in the real world. Propositions or
statements which are observed to be real or truthful
are considered facts.
There are statements, however, that are not evidently
or immediately known to be true. This statement is
claim, and further examination is required to establish
whether it is true or false.
Science considers truth as something observable and
empirical. This means that any claim can be proven by
verification and experimentation.
6. Ancient Greek Philosophers approached the problem of
truth by looking at the nature of knowledge and how we
know what we know. We assume that everything we
know about this world is true. But philosophers who
pondered upon the origins of knowledge doubted
everything there is to know about themselves and the
world.
HOW DO WE KNOW IF SOMETHING IS
TRUTH?
7. Example:
I am alive.
I have a body.
I can breathe.
Doubt has very important purpose in philosophy as it drives our desire to
discover truth. In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to determine
truth. This means that every statement, claim, evidence, and is scrutinized
and analysed. Nothing is taken as true unless there is sufficient reason
and evidence to prove that is indeed true. Let’s rewrite the statements as
questions to make them easier to analysed.
8. Am I alive?
Do I have a body?
Can I breathe?
The obvious answer would be examine yourself to determine if indeed
you are alive, that you have a body, and you can breathe.
Then you can now say:
I am alive!
I have a body!
I can breathe!
9. One perspectives on truth- a belief is true if it can be justified or proven
through the use of one’s senses.
Another basis for determining the truth- a belief for statement is true if it is
based on facts.
Getting consensus or having people agree on a common belief is another
way of determining what is true. But this approach has certain limitations. For
example, if you can get your classmates to agree that you do not need to
study to become successful, it does not make that belief true. Therefore, you
have to use other means to really answer the question.
Determining truth requires a person to prove a statement through an
10. HOW CAN PHILOSOPHY GUIDE US IN
DISTINGUISHING TRUTH FROM OPINION?
Opinion are statements go beyond providing facts. They also provide
conclusions or perspectives regarding certain situations. Some of
statements even advance a belief about a certain thing or person.
Opinions are also the bases for making arguments and convincing
people that a certain claim is a fact.
Conclusions is a judgement based on certain facts.
Beliefs are statements that express convictions that are not easily
clearly explained by facts. To judge the truthfulness of belief, we must
also consider things if we rely merely on facts.
Explanations are statements that assume the claim to be true and
provide reasons why the statement is true.
11. Arguments are a series of statements that provide reasons to convince
the reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful. Thus we need
to be very careful when we listen to arguments since not all
arguments are truthful.
Arguments often take the form of statements that are either
claims of facts and are phrased in such a way that they seem
reasonable. However, a number of arguments may be based on
faulty reasoning. These kinds of arguments are called fallacies.
Some of these fallacies may be intentional, as the person making
the claim is desperate to convince you to accept his or her
argument.
Bias or the personal views of the person presenting. Biases are not
necessarily errors in reasoning, but refer to tendencies or influences
which affect the views of people.
12. HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFERNCE
BETWEEN TRUTH AND OPINION LEAD US TO
WISDOM?
Understanding of opinions and facts and the means to distinguish one
from the other can further improve our understanding and
appreciation of varied views and ideas. The ability to determine truth
goes hand in hand with the holistic perspective and enables us to
make wiser decisions, especially in choosing the ideas and views which
we find acceptable.
An individual cannot live his or her life just agreeing with everybody
he or she meets. A critical mind aided by philosophy can help us form
our own personal point of view that can guide us in making decisions
and actions when faced with a problem.
Philosophy can help us determine ideas that are truthful and
acceptable which we can then use to form our own views regarding
certain matters.
13. REVIEW
Philosophy is concerned with determining truth since it lies at the heart
of any inquiry.
The discussion on truth is part of philosophical studies on knowledge
where philosophers explore the nature of knowledge and the ways of
knowing.
Facts are statements that are observed to the real of truthful. Claims are
statements that require further examination to determine their
truthfulness.
There are various philosophical views regarding truth. Philosophers
consider something as truthful if it corresponds with an observable fact
or reality. Something is also true if it can be justified through experience
and the use of one’s senses. Another view believes that truth is a product
of agreement or consensus. Another perspective considers a claim as
truthful if it can be rested and verified.
14. Opinions are comprised of statements which not only give facts but
also provide conclusions or perspectives regarding certain situations.
Opinions may advance a belief about certain things or provide
explanations.
Arguments are a series of statements that provide reasons to convince
the reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful.
Some arguments may contain fallacies. This means that they are
products of faulty reasoning. We must be aware of the various kinds of
fallacies as these affect the validity of arguments.
Opinions are often influenced by bias. This means that a person
having the opinion may have views and tendencies that affect the way
he or she sees reality. We must be aware of bias so that we can
objectively and critically examine points of view.
Philosophy can help us examine various views on relevant issues in our
lives. An objective evaluation of opinions and an awareness of our
personal biases can help us to make wise choices regarding the most
acceptable views to adopt and the right actions to undertake.
