Truth and Reality

Introduction

Truth

Analysis

Dimensions

Dimensions of Truth

The factors defining truth may be formalised into four dimensions. These are:

1. The Category:
   • True.
   • False.
   • Neither true nor false. I.e.
     • Things whose category is unknown or unknowable.^*
     • Things for which the terms "true" and "false" are irrelevant.
     • Statements that are meaningless.
   
   
2. The Scope:
   • 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.
   
   
3. The Class:
   • Physical entities - These are neither true nor false, and are real.
   • Universals - (If they are real).
   • 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.
     • Other ideas - Ideas not necessarily held to be true.
   
   
4. The Usage. We may refer to either:
   • The things in themselves, or...
   • Statements about them.

^* The inclusion of "unknown or unknowable" in the category "neither true nor false" may seem inappropriate, as, objectively, all statements are either true or false irrespective of whether they are known to be so, or if such is even knowable. However, they are included as, subjectively, the status "not known" can be legitimate.

Representing Truth as an Array

A representation of truth as a four dimensional array is inherently dificult to visualize, but we can represent it in two parts by mapping the Usage against the Scope, and the Category against the Class.

A table representing the full array can then be produced by embedding the Category against Class array in each cell of the Usage against Scope array.

Two versions of the full size table can be downloaded in PDF format:

• Including Universals.
• Excluding Universals.

The table Truth and Reality - Including Universals is discussed here:

Each copy of the category and class array is in a different context of usage and scope. Therefore each occupies a unique position in the overall table.

Some cells in the upper row of category and class arrays are shaded, as they are invalid:

• Physical entities are "neither true nor false", as the concept of truth is irrelevant to them. So the categories "true" and "false" are invalid.
  
  
• Universals (if they are real) can be "true" if they are relationships (like 1 + 1 = 2) or otherwise "neither true nor false" as the concept of truth is irrelevant to them. So the category "false" is invalid.
  
  
• Observations and ideas, in themselves, can only be "true" or "false". So the category "neither true nor false" is invalid.
  
  
• All statements are objectively true or false. So the category "neither true nor false" is invalid.

Some classifications form sub-groups. E.g.

• The categories "true" and "false" are not exclusive. Instead there is a scale of truth from 100% true at one extreme to 100% false at the other.
  
  
• The personal and shared truths are subjective (relative) truths.