Analysis
Analysis
An obvious place to start when analyzing the relationships between truth and reality is with statements. Statements may be true, false or indeterminate. But before we can make a statement we have to conceptualize the entities. Concepts may describe things that are real, in the sense that they exist whether we are cognisant of them or not, and those that exist entirely within our cognition:
Physical entities are defined as being real, and exist whether we perceive them or not. They include material objects, electromagnetic phenomena, and gravity.
Universals are abstract entities, which, if real, exist outside our cognition.
The entities that exist within our cognition may be summarised as:
- Observations - Things we perceive.
- Ideas such as:
- Concepts - Ideas that are fundamental to our comprehension.
- Beliefs - Ideas we hold to be true without directly perceiving them.
- Axioms - Ideas held to be true for the purposes of a particular theory.
- Universals - Abstract entities (if not real).
- Other Ideas - Ideas not necessarily held to be true.
However, statements are not the only things that may be true or false. Observations and ideas may be true in themselves, in addition to statements about them.
Then there is the scope within which an entity may be true. It may be:
- Objective Truth - That which matches reality.
- Shared Truth - Something held to be true by more than one person.
- Personal Truth - Something held to be true by an individual.
Note: A shared truth is distinguished from a personal truth because a shared truth may be considered as "knowledge", whereas it is difficult to see that a personal truth, without any corroboration, qualifies as such.
