What is The Truth, and why should we pursue it?

osgart said:

What is The Truth to you?

Click to expand...

Truth is the quality facts possess, facts being linguistic strings (sentences) that accurately map a piece of reality.

Let me be concrete:

I claim to live five blocks north and three blocks east of the pier. Is that true or not?

You can't tell from the words, can you? To confirm or disconfirm the truth of those words, you'd need physical evidence. You need to consult physical reality.

Let's do that. Walk five blocks south and three blocks east with me from my front door and see if we end up at the pier. If we do, my claim has been demonstrated to be true, that is, factual. If any other outcome ensues, my claim was not true.

There may be other truths that can't be shown to conform with reality, but if they in fact do map a piece of nature, then they are truths nevertheless, even if their truth status can't be confirmed..

It's not a difficult concept. People make it to hard, especially whrn they add qualifiers to truth like absolute truth and ultimate truth, whatever those are.

Mindmaster said:

The truth is unchangeable

Click to expand...

Many things are true today but false tomorrow, beginning with what day today and tomorrow are or will be. "Today is Monday" is true, but not for long. True statements needn't be unchanging to be truth.

Truth appears to be grounded in an unknown to us transcendent thing. Therefore, all truth we have until now hit on is aiming at that. That is one explanation.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life... John 4:16
and Paul states that in Christ ...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ...Colossians 2:3

I believe Jesus Christ is worth pursuing.

osgart said:

If the truth is nothing more than the facts of reality, what will those facts bring humanity?

If the truth is virtue, what will those qualities of character bring to the betterment of humanity?

Is the truth tragic?

Is the truth glorious?

Or is it just a pile of unchangeable facts.

Some people are on a quest for truth, some people are just dirt digging to expose people.

Perhaps The Truth is a meaning forever lost.

What is The Truth to you?

Does The Truth exist?

So many hearts gravitate to pleasure seeking , dirt digging, fact obsession, nihilism, and relative convenience.

If the truth is noble, is it worth the effort to pursue it?

If Truth be true love, will true love make it all worthwhile, as we might be living as a passing, fading memory in the book of eternity.

Life is now, for tomorrow is no guarantee of it.

Click to expand...

Truth and God are equivalent, whether that God is a conscious, divine entity or not. It should be the object of pursuit, or worship, if you will.

There are four aspects of Truth (that I've found) which makes Truth easier to deal with:

From the purely objective, Knowledge, to the purely subjective, Beauty, and the blend of objective/subjective aspects, Justice, and Love.

Aldrnari said:

There's a reason bards (skalds) were so important to ancient societies... People come and go, but thousands of years later their stories survive in songs. Furthermore, what is fact ceases to be important as the legend of someone's deeds eclipses the person themselves.

The truth of one's actions isn't always subject to fact...

Click to expand...

Exactly. Its how I read the new testament. There are.aspects.of us way way old and art taps into that. I can be moved by gospel song as much as a secular song what ever that even means. On the neck of a guitar they share the same notes. Apparently when the music stops all stupidity ensues!!!! Read john muir. You are listening to MLK, bob dylan, root music, blues gospel ancient European melodies they all have presence. This is why I find theology generally nonsense it's mostly professors in an office writing opinions. Occasionally very rarely is theology in that presence in that moment. Dietrich bonhoeffer is rare.

bobhikes said:

Truth and Love are separate things, Truth is an absolute of logic and Love is the absolute of emotion. The two make up the quandary that is the Human mind. You don't need to find either but both exist. The search for the truth is an experience that opens one's mind. It changes the person through the experience. Is it worth the effort to pursue it, for some yes for others no. The truth is nothing other than truth, the experience could be noble or harrowing depending on you.

Click to expand...

What exactly makes truth an absolute of logic unless it's nothing other than fact?

InChrist said:

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life... John 4:16
and Paul states that in Christ ...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ...Colossians 2:3

I believe Jesus Christ is worth pursuing.

Click to expand...

From a philosophical point one has to question whether Jesus did say and whether he could have been confused when he said it.

Shushersbedamned said:

What exactly makes truth an absolute of logic unless it's nothing other than fact?

Click to expand...

Who says truth is fact?

bobhikes said:

Who says truth is fact?

Click to expand...

Dictionary for one. The word truth without a or the can't really have particular value that would make it any different from a fact. Or at least I fail to see it if it does. Because there can be many truths. But only one The.

Shushersbedamned said:

Dictionary for one. The word truth without a or the can't really have particular value that would make it any different from a fact. Or at least I fail to see it if it does. Because there can be many truths. But only one The.

Click to expand...

What is this 'The Truth', you refer to?

Shushersbedamned said:

Dictionary for one. The word truth without a or the can't really have particular value that would make it any different from a fact. Or at least I fail to see it if it does. Because there can be many truths. But only one The.

Click to expand...

The truth the absolute(Not a truth) is an experience. It is not a fact or I could just tell you it. Our logical side labels and groups our experiences, so a car is a car if it meets these criteria which are experiences. The truth(not a truth) is the absolute of logical experiences. There are many truths but only one absolute truth. Love is the same for the emotional side, the absolute. It is also an experience and no 2 people feel love the same way. There are many other emotions, Anger, Jealousy, Joy and enthusiasm each is definable for the whole but love is not. Love is an experience only for the individual.

bobhikes said:

The truth the absolute(Not a truth) is an experience. It is not a fact or I could just tell you it. Our logical side labels and groups our experiences, so a car is a car if it meets these criteria which are experiences. The truth(not a truth) is the absolute of logical experiences. There are many truths but only one absolute truth. Love is the same for the emotional side, the absolute. It is also an experience and no 2 people feel love the same way. There are many other emotions, Anger, Jealousy, Joy and enthusiasm each is definable for the whole but love is not. Love is an experience only for the individual.

Click to expand...

How the he'l do you know there is only one absolute truth? Have you found it? How do you know it can only be experienced and again how do you know it is an absolute of logical ..

Shushersbedamned said:

How the he'l do you know there is only one absolute truth? Have you found it? How do you know it can only be experienced and again how do you know it is an absolute of logical ..

Click to expand...

How does one know anything?

bobhikes said:

How does one know anything?

Click to expand...

Not helping your case.

Shushersbedamned said:

From a philosophical point one has to question whether Jesus did say and whether he could have been confused when he said it.

Click to expand...

Jesus confused?

InChrist said:

Jesus confused?

Click to expand...

He was a man wasn't he? Of he was never confused he could not have been human.

Shushersbedamned said:

He was a man wasn't he? Of he was never confused he could not have been human.

Click to expand...

Sure He was human, also fully God according to the scriptures and though Jesus was human He was without sin as all other humans. This did not detract from His humanity, so neither would His lack of confusion. A Being who is God, the Creator, would certainly not be God, if confused.