Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The Philosophy of Truth

Volumes have been written on the idea of TRUTH.  Philosophers and theologians, poets and preachers, parents and police inspectors all claim to be seeking the truth. The idea that truth is relative is a ridiculous idea when we accept the idea that what is true corresponds accurately with facts and reality that may be difficult or impossible to quantify or measure such as love, fear, passion, or deep and personal convictions. Aside from some very specialized domains (such as physics, special relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, quasars, neutron stars and the like), truth is actually a simple idea.

There are so many people in history that either deal directly with the idea of truth, or question the status quo regarding what is true.  Well known names like Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, Søren Kierkegaard, Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Nietzsche all come to mind, as well as the great Islamic philosopher Avicenna aka Ibn-Sīnā and even modern thinkers come to mind like Cornel West or Judith Butler who focus on some form of social justice - of which the very phrase implies that truth exists in non-empirical domains.

Philosophy in general posits questions about our existence and what we know or value, using reason and logic -AND- attempts to answer these questions.  There is practical and personal philosophy that individual holds to as their own life guiding principles.  Some can articulate it while others cannot.  Most music has an underlying philosophy infused within the lyrics.  Movies, television, play's and documentaries all have an underlying philosophy and worldview claiming to be true framing the story.  Don't be fooled or self-deceived - you and I have our own underlying philosophy guiding our very lives, whether we are conscious of it or not.

This blog is my own attempt to examine the world in light of a philosophy and worldview that I consider to be true, fact, and corresponding with reality. I am a Christian, and as such, I am convinced that there is a God who created the universe, created life, and created mankind.  I am convinced that this God defines both the truths that are empirically verified as those truths that are difficult if not impossible to measure.  Please explore and respond, letting me and others know if the premise and logical out-workings of what is written here does indeed correspond to both facts that are indisputable and reality that can't be measured.