True?

The Universe

 

A large hackberry tree grows outside the front window of my house. I see it everytime I walk through the living room. The tree and my relationship to it provide a good starting point for our discussions.

 

In considering the universe, several basic principles become obvious. I cannot necessarily “prove” the truth of these principles but my common experience of the universe, and that of my friends and colleagues, confirm their truth. These principles then are self-evident – they can be considered some of the first principles upon which I build my knowledge and understanding of the universe – they are part of the common sense. What are these?

 

1. Things exist. The tree in my yard exists.
2. The things of the universe exist outside my mind. The tree exists outside my mind. It is not a figment of my imagination, nor is it dependent on my thoughts about it. Its existence is separate from mine. I am not the tree, and the tree is not me.
3. The universe is orderly. The tree is subject to orderly patterns of growth and development, common to other trees. Furthermore, the internal workings of the cells and tissues of the tree exhibit characteristic patterns and order of operation – again common to other trees. There is a lawful order and pattern to the universe and its operations.
4. I can understand the order found in the universe.
5. The universe is contingent. Things come into existence and seemingly go out of existence. But no thing causes its own existence. The tree in my yard to not cause itself to exist. It came from a seed that was produced by another tree. Something does not come from nothing, and a thing cannot exist and not exist at the same time.
6. Likewise, things in the universe change. People grow older, fatter, thinner, balder. Grass grows and gets cut. Erosion wears down mountains and volcanic eruptions give rise to new islands in the ocean. The tree grows taller, and loses its leaves in the winter.
7. Humans can know the contingent order in the universe.

 These principles form the basis of any knowledge I can gain about the universe around me. While I cannot “prove” them, I assume their truthfulness in my everyday experience of the world around me. They form the common sense out of which we view the world. Their denial would mean that there is no way to truly objectively know anything. There are philosophical systems that do indeed deny one or more of these first principles with very interesting consequences. We will address these as they relate to our discussions at hand throughout the blog.

 

To Know the Truth

 

 There are five basic questions we can ask ourselves about any object of knowledge.

 

Is it true?

 

Is it knowable? Can I know it?

 

Can I give reasons for it? Can I prove it?

 

Can I be certain about it? Can I have certainty?

 

Can I have scientific certainty?

 

We will address the first of these questions here. The remainder will be addressed as we outline our philosophical system of inquiry.

 

Quid est Veritas?

 

Truth looked at philosophically is an assessment of reality according to the mind. Since truth may be taught to others, it is also an adequate expression of reality that others can share in a meaningful way. Philosophy does not remain in the realm of ideas and principles. It helps us to analyze an experienced reality. This analysis leads to something very concrete and objective. It is the road that is followed by those who ask questions, are seeking to know themselves and the meaning of the world around them. It leads us to a discovery of what is true and real.

 

So what do we mean when we say something is true?

 

1. Truth is the equation, conformation, correspondence of object and intellect.

 

2. A judgment is said to be true when it conforms to reality.

 

3. A thought is said to be true because it conforms to a thing or person.

 

4. A thing or person is said to be true because it conforms to a thought.

 

5. To know the truth of a proposition is to know what causes that proposition to be true.

 

6. The truth of a proposition may be caused by the truth of another proposition.

 

7. The truest proposition may be the proposition which is always true.

 

8. The truest proposition may also be the proposition which causes other propositions to be true, and which does not depend on the truth of other propositions.

 

9. To make a true statement is to say of what is, that it is, or to say of what is not, that it is not.

 

10. To make a false statement is to say of what is not, that it is, or to say of what is, that it is not.

 

11. ‘That which is’ cannot simultaneously be ‘that which is not.’ Being and non-being (existence and non-existence) cannot be predicated of the same subject at the same time in the same respect.

 

12. Although a proposition may potentially be either true or false, it cannot be both true and false at the same time in the same respect.

 

13. A proposition may appear to be true, and yet may be false. A proposition may appear to be false, and yet may be true.

 

14. If a proposition is not necessarily false, then it may possibly be true.

 

15. If a proposition is not necessarily true, then it may possibly be false.

 

16. A proposition which is necessarily true cannot possibly be false.

 

17. A proposition which is necessarily false cannot possibly be true.

 

18. The appearance of something may differ from the true reality of that thing.

 

19. Moreover, the appearance of something may be relative to the position of an observer, and may depend on the opinions and attitudes of the observer.

 

20. Things may not appear the same to everyone, and may have contradictory appearances.