What Is The Truth?

what is the truth

What is the truth?

How do you know that it’s true?

What mechanisms do you use to determine the truth?

Is truth subjective to an extent? Depends on the subject I suppose…

Does truth discovery necessitate that people “think”? To be able to think critically?
Yes, I believe so.

I believe it also requires a certain level of intelligence, particularly when a truth may not be exceedingly clear.

How is it that some (or many?) so easily and blindly accept statements as truth if originating from what they perceive to be ‘authoritative’ sources?


What Is The Truth

So again, what is the truth? How do you get to the truth? How do you know? Do you ever really know? Again, I suppose that depends on what we’re talking about. Some truths certainly appear to be clear while many others may require closer examination.

One way to discover the truth might be to try and prove or disprove a truth. If you cannot disprove it, maybe it’s more truth than not. If you can prove it, then maybe it is the truth.

Maybe you try and break it down to its core. Again, subject dependent.

Might one person’s truth be different from another person’s, while both being ‘true’?

How much do perceptions come into play?
Can perceptions be manipulated or misguided?

According to the dictionary, truth is that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
A fact or belief that is accepted as true.

Facts are facts, right? Or can some facts be presented in such a light so as to twist them into a slightly (or more) altered reality? Are they still true?

If a belief that is accepted as true later is shown to be false (or somewhere in between), then is it no longer the truth even though it is still accepted as truth by the majority?

Is the truth subjective or objective, relative or absolute?

What happens when half a population believes one truth while the other believes an opposing truth? Can two opposing truths peaceably coexist?

Am I getting too philosophical?

I find it interesting how many so called truths can apparently be easily manipulated and accepted as such, even though it may not be true at all.

I do suggest however that we all question “the truth”, especially when there is a new truth put upon us. Critical thinking is important. Do not blindly accept ‘truth’ when it is stated as such from ‘authority’. Not all authority is virtuous. One might even suggest that much of ‘authority’ may actually be non-virtuous.

Use Situational Awareness when truths are presented.

Truthfulness, sincerity, candor, honesty.

They’re all good traits.

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    1. OK, I apologize for being flippant. But I was on my way to some medical tests that might or might not have significant consequences. I don’t know if the tests will have truthful results. My thoughtful response to the results will have consequences….perhaps. Will the persons administering and evaluating the results come to the right, i.e. true, conclusions? Will any actions I base on those conclusions truly result in the proper outcome? The longer I live the more convinced I become that the truth is more likely to be seen in the rearview mirror than on the road ahead. I guess that makes me a cynic. For most of us the heart is swift to believe it knows the truth, and in consequence often wrong. The reason, slower in assessment, often yields to the heart’s veto of reason’s conclusion. I may truly believe my next footfall will land on a rising stair tread; but in the darkness I might end up tumbling down the stair. So, my hand wrapped ’round a brimming glass, I toast the wraith-like truth that we pursue through the mists of life.

  1. We live in a world of clashing ideologies. We also live in a world of 24/7 cable news, internet news sites, radio talk shows, and so called “opinion polls” that are as non-biased as whoever commissioned them. We are bombarded with “information”, all with one thing in common: to tell us what what we should think.

    Am I the only one who, when I hear the words “the fact is” coming from the mouth of a cable news guest commentator, knows I’m about to hear fiction, not fact, intended to mold my opinion.

    I’m convinced that the failure of our public education system was intentional. Children never taught the concept of critical thinking are doomed to believe whatever they are told.

    1. Dennis, that’s generally what motivated me to write this. There’s so much information available to us now with today’s modern communications technologies. It’s incredible actually.

      While that’s a good thing, it also requires sifting and filtering. Critical thinking.

      I am extremely pleased that the alphabet channels no longer have 100% influence on what we’re “supposed to think”. And this issue is creating some incredibly dangerous issues as ‘they’ (along with their silicon valley cohorts) are desperately trying to squash the free speech of other voices that are not following their narratives.

      In any event, “the truth” is no longer necessarily what “they” say it is ;)

      1. Ken,

        I will go one step farther. When I say it’s a clash of ideologies, I truly believe it’s a clash between good and evil. I believe one relies on the self evidence of certain truths and the other has to resort to deceit (lies and innuendo, think Eve and the serpent and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) .

        Did I just conflate the Biblical serpent (satan) with the modern swamp creatures infiltrating our government? If not, the similarities are sure ironic.

        1. Remember, the Serpent never lied to Eve. She did not die. Remember, God knew and wanted Eve to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Had He not, she never would have. Remember, God created Satan, and there can be no greater evil, than the inventor of evil…and of all death.
          Adam and Eve did not become LESS like God, when they ate of the Tree of Knowledge, they became MORE like God…to know the difference between Good and Evil. They were not cast out of Eden because of any Original Sin. They were promoted out of Eden, as they had become truly Human, and above being fed and watered in the omniscient zoo. They had to become productive beings, responsible for themselves, and free to engage Reality directly. It is not a tale of Original Sin (which is not in the Bible) but a tale of ORIGINAL VIRTUE. Only a pig wants to return to Eden.

          1. Anonymous,

            As a believer, I feel I must respond, but know that discussing this subject will fall on deaf ears. Ken has every right to halt such discussions.

            First, to believe what I believe, one must accept that there is only one God, who reveals Himself in the form of three forms, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All powerful, all knowing, all seeing, all loving, merciful, and forgiving.

            He created us in His image to commune with, be friends and companions. He didn’t make make us mindless creatures with no ability to choose whether to follow Him, rather,early on, He had one simple request (command if you wish), a test to see if they would honor His wishes.

            Satan, who was also created by God, an angelic creation, was cast out of God’s dwelling for the very same reason Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. He had come to think himself the equal of God, much like you insinuate. He was not “promoted”, he was cast down.
            Your concept of death is physical death. The death God inferred was spiritual death. The disobedience of Eve, and then, Adam, was the death of that trust and faith between them and their creator. The severing of a relationship, a break in the bond of trust. Separation from God and His love.

            I’ll stop here, to not put Ken in the position of refereeing a religious discussion. I have faith in a loving God who is far more wise and powerful than me. I do not feel the least bit oppressed by my position in that pecking order.

        2. For that ‘group’ demonizing the 1st Amendment and attacking voices they don’t agree with or voices of controversy or even descent (which is what the 1st Amendment was put in place for), those entities ‘spinning’ so called truths (or even lying about it)… their ideology has become a sort of “religion” for them. Their radical ideology has become their religion. I do believe that’s a pretty accurate way of putting it.

  2. No one teaches the most effective method of cognition humanity is capable of achieving, which is Logic applied to our sensory experience, the results of which then integrated into our intellects, in a non-contradictory manner, which preserves the original context and meaning of what is experienced. Basically, no one teaches REASON and RATIONAL THOUGHT. But, if you do not use this method of cognition, you are incapable of ever discovering any Truth, and you shall suffer for it.

    Logic is not an invention of Mankind. Logic is what Mankind discovered in the way Existence exists. Logic is the art of making non-contradictory identification of some aspect of Existence. To make it simple: Existence is Identity. Consciousness is Identification. To be, is to be something specific, as opposed to “being” nothing at all. If you cannot identify Existence, you are not Conscious. If you are Conscious, what you are conscious of is Existence, and your mind has identified enough attributes of Existence to allow the contextual notion of your own identity.

    Once a person learns the various Laws Of Identity, which is Logic, and is able to apply it to what they perceive, they have the only KEY Mankind has to for comprehending the Universe. Those, who seek to subordinate themselves to their emotions, and reject Logic and Reason, because it interferes with their emotions, have throw away the only key they had to unlocking the mysteries of the unknown and of Reality….as they cry, “No one can be certain of anything! Reality is illusion! and “Do you always think in terms of Black & White?”

    Naturally, they are too stupid to understand that thinking in shades of grey, would be impossible if Black & White did not exist, and if one cannot see in Black & White…they are unable to see the SHADE of the grey fog, which fills their mind.

    Truth is exactly what it is, regardless of the ability to fathom it. Truth is not subject to one’s feelings about it. Truth is not depended upon one’s ability to discover it. Truth is simply an aspect of Existence. All we do is identify Existence every second of our lives. Our survival depends upon this ability.

    What is going on now, is a continuous attack upon the mind of man. A deliberate effort to make it less of a survival tool. To reduce one’s confidence in their own thought processes, making them more and more prone to submit to the thoughts of others, or to forgo thought….to just FEEL their way…totally unwitting they have been deliberately conditioned to do just that.

  3. There can be no ‘truth’ in emotion or non-factual thinking/beliefs. There can only be speculation or feeling. When someone thinks, or believes in something than that persons idea of the truth in their mind, and it may seem as all out truth to them. Whereas their truth cannot be proven or have actual fact. Their truth may be surmised from their idea of the facts, but again tis their thinking and emotional belief

    Truth can only be found in fact. As Ken pointed out though Facts can be twisted and manipulated into a something based on truth, but once done the Facts are no longer the Fact, they are a conglomerate of Fact and emotion that is used by some to represent fact and truth, this conglomerate are NOT truths.

    For example, there are Male and Female gender in the Human Race, Fact. If someone (male) “feels” like a woman that is a non-fact/non-truth, it is emotion and their belief (even if all the ‘Stuff’ is done altering them, in fact he is still a Male). To them it may seem like Truth, while in fact it is not. This person is still a Male regardless of their thinking or alterations, so He goes about spouting his version of “Truth” all awhile convincing others of this non-truth.

    Who was it that said “Tell a lie enough, it becomes the truth”.
    THIS is the world of non-factually Truths that we now live in, a LOT of people call Truths of ideas and emotions, not Fact.

    Fact is I have 2 marbles in my hand, but I can close my hand and say I have 3 marbles, if I tell everyone I have 3 marbles enough it will in time come to be that I in fact have 3 marbles. What is the Truth? Two marbles or Three marbles because I say there are three marbles and I believe I have 3 marbles, what becomes the Truth? Fact or Emotional Thinking?
    To toss a twist into my example. I in fact do have 2 marbles, yet I have an extra marble in my hand, Truth or Not?

    1. NRP the fact is when you open your hand and I see “Only Two Marbles” you have lost your marbles

      Sorry could not resist..

      TRUTH IS Too open ended a subject for a thread posting to address. I however did find myself nodding to NRP’s thoughtful posting about Truth.

      AND That’s the TRUTH, Pfffffit

    2. NRP,
      How many people follow their hearts… and allow how they feel about something to overwhelm their ability to discern facts, to sift out the truth from those things that are only perceptions or beliefs? I could spend hours talking about this… so many people confuse feeling and thinking, believing what they feel is reality… they cannot or choose not to separate the two.

    3. “For example, there are Male and Female gender in the Human Race, Fact”

      If you spend enough time in a busy maternity ward you will find babies born whose gender cannot be easily determined. They may be physically intermediate between male and femsle, or show signs of both genders. At the genetic level they may carry male Y chromosone but look female.

      1. Michael your facts omit that in the medical field we call that chromosome DAMAGE.

        Environmental factors like the Soy estrogen issue, plastics and various other toxins like Roundup have shown a damaging blurring of sexual characteristics as well as damage to genetic material.

        If your born a male and Choose to buy a plastic surgery to remove your male sexual characteristics are you now BORN a Neuter? Going forward you add on fake breasts and such are you BORN a Female?

        So the FACT still remains that there are Two Genders in the human race. Male and Female and no amount of emotional safe zone abiding crybaby yelling will change those facts aside from the delusional.

        1. NH Michael;
          I agree on the Chromosome Damage, but is it not true that it’s going to ne either an “X” or a “Y” chromosome that is damage (or both), and hence still a Male or Female? Even with Damaged chromosome?

          Until the time we genetically modify the “X” and/or “Y” chromosome into a “Z” the Fact is there are still only Male and Female of the species.

          1. NRP I thought I was pretty clear when I said they baby even WITH a Damaged Chromosome is Either Male Or Female. I thought my last sentence said it pretty well. Sorry I was not totally clear.

            BTW NRP do you really think the other Michael is even interested in Facts since clearly he has a pretty poor grasp on what a “Fact” is?

          2. NH Michael;
            You are absolutely correct.
            Again we are in agreement.
            Need to readjust my glasses I’m thinking (not always a good thing BTW hehehe)

            What’s scary about the “other” Michael is (from his comments) he’s working in the medical field????? First contact with infants to “grownups?
            Gata love the Flybys ya know.
            Facts? we don’t need no stinking Facts, we just need emotions. :-)

          3. NRP given his style of writing the Other Michael is not in the Medical Field just a I-Phone “Expert”.

            Hit and Run style light on facts and logic

      2. Michael;
        Did you actually read your gibberish before you posted it?
        1. “If you spend enough time in a busy maternity ward you will find babies born whose gender cannot be easily determined”
        Just because ‘you’ cannot easily determine the gender does NOT mean they are not Male/Female.
        2. “They may be physically intermediate between male and femsle, or show signs of both genders”
        Your word “Intermediate”, are you sure you know what that word means?
        3. “At the genetic level they may carry male Y chromosone but look female.”
        Yet if the “Y” or “X” chromosome is present (actually the second chromosome) they are ‘Factually’ Male or Female regardless of Looks.
        4. “Fact”.
        Please learn what the word “Fact” means.

  4. Ken, Your statement “if you can not disprove it maybe it’s true” really turned on a light for me. As I meet people that claimed to be atheist, I tell them that they are really agnostic. This gets the conversation really going. Then I ask them to give me physical evidence that there is no God proving they’re atheist belief. They can’t do it, proving they are agnostic. Needless to say, I’ve made serval people angry but have made a few people think about it.

    1. It cannot be done, because your demand is utterly illogical…and impossible on its face. Logic teaches us to reject any arbitrary claim out of hand…as one cannot pay it any attention. When one is asked to disprove God, all one needs to do is to ask, “God?” What do you mean?” Then simply apply Logic to any attempted answer. If one cannot comprehend God, one cannot know what one is trying to disprove…or to prove. If God is not comprehensible, God is exactly like NON-Existence.

      If you cannot define God in knowable, and rational, terms, the word is utterly meaningless…which is IS. “God” is not a noun, nor does it communicate anything when this word is spoken. “God is Love” and “Snorf is Blaff” both mean the same thing. Nothing at all.

      Typical is the Catholic Encyclopedia definition of God, which includes about 26 different attributes. One of these attributes is that of God being “ineffable,” which means ‘too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.’ Now, if words cannot express anything about God, explain how 25 other attributes are in the definition? If words cannot be used to defined God, God cannot be defined. So, the problem is exactly how does GOD manifest apart from NON-existence..for which God seems to share the exact same quality? God doesn’t change. God is invisible. God is unknowable.

      If God cannot be comprehended by the mind of Man. God cannot be comprehended to exist at all…and certainly cannot even exist as a valid concept. God is simply an EMOTIONAL TRIGGER term, whose purpose is to shut down the intellect and stop thought. It is a conditioned noise, which effects many people as it is intended.

      1. Anonymous, I see that you use a capitol G when referring to God, this tells me that you know exactly who God is. Leaving me to conclude that you follow the other side.

        Knowing that with finite comprehension and limited understanding, our minds cannot comprehend, in order to understand and explain, the eternal, self-existent Creator.
        He provides witness of Himself to us through His creation.
        Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Reading on, you’ll see what things were wrought by their faith. It takes faith, that He has given to us, Romans 12:3, to believe that He is, and that His word is true.
        YouTube has many videos on converions from darkness to light. Those people are happy to give their testimony.
        I think that genuine truth inspires us to excellent virtue.
        Perhaps they who are media watchdogs have one of the most important, yet underrated occupations; as Abraham Lincoln said that more powerful than the President, are they that mold public opinion. Ardent guardians of the truth, they are.

        1. You do understand the irony of citing the bible in an attempt to show a non believer that they are wrong. The bible is simply history and fiction written by long dead humans. It isn’t “truth” although sometimes it coincides with truth.

          You cannot prove the existence of god but it is illogical. So believers believe it in faith not in fact. They want it to be true so they force themselves to believe it. I am sure if ants had bigger brains they would believe in an ant god and ditto for every other animal. It is likely “normal” to believe in a god(s) because the alternative is unpalatable. But in fact the alternative is the truth and the god is the fantasy. I delightful fantasy and if it makes your life easier feel free to continue your fantasy. But understand, contrary to your religion, spreading the word to those who know the truth is a waste of time and energy. Go save the homeless or feed the hungry but leave us non-believers in peace and we will do the same for you.

          1. Wow man.
            The Constitution was written by, now dead guys, and even history. That’s probably ALL fiction too?

          2. You don’t believe. You are sure in your non-belief. Yet, something prompts you to lash out in derision when folks that express their belief openly. I wonder what prompts one to feel that a response of ridicule of those whose faith is opposed to your own is necessary? The very fact you made your decision that there is no God, means you’ve considered the possibility and came to a conclusion. Surely you considered the claim of believers about everlasting existence either in the presence of a loving God or an eternity cut off from Him. That my friend has become your faith. Your faith is that you are right and they are wrong, yet, you feel the necessity to ridicule their faith. To what end? To reinforce your own faith to yourself?

          3. There are alot of things I believe that are the truth. Example….God, the Bible, The US Constitution. Note: Use of capitalization.
            I don’t believe myself or anyone pushed their beliefs on anyone. They were just stating what they believed to be true without the bashing of others that didn’t agree.
            I and others took the time to read your statement.
            The first Amendment. Truth or fiction?

          4. OneGuy, The difference is that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit whom witnesses the truth of his word to they that hear and/or read it. If you have a copy, KJV, simply start reading it.
            Many an ” atheist ” has set out to his unbelief, only to come unto the realization of the knowledge of the truth. A case in point is Lee Stroebel, his books are very worthwhile reading.
            And again, many an unbeliever has set out to disprove scripture, only to come to the conclusion that it’s not possible. And that it takes more faith to remain an unbeliever, than it does to become a believer.

          5. OneGuy: please elaborate on your statement: ” those who know the truth”. Who are they and what truth is it that they know?

            How is it that knowing the ‘truth’ is defined by being ‘non-believing’?

          6. Old Chevy
            If you believe that herbs or essential oils will cure you BECAUSE you have faith than you do NOT know the truth. If on the other hand you find that after considerable study one or two herbs can in fact help specific health problems than you know the truth. And you would also know that virtually ev eryone who believes ALL of the BS about herbs and other “natural” cures simply is ignorant. What this means is believing something because of faith = ignorance.

          7. 1guy: Is it accurate to say that you feel that for those who know the ‘truth’ faith is on the level of superstition?

            2guy: If there is a god, would it be possible for it to exist if nobody had ‘faith’?

            3guy: If god could be measured by scientific means; wouldn’t that prove what was being measured couldn’t possibly be God?

          8. Faith in god(s) is superstition.
            2. Don’t understand the question.
            3. But god isn’t measured, detectable or real by any measure or reason, only by faith.

            1. Chevy: If there is god(s) who made him, her, them?
            2. Chevy: If there is something that made god(s) who made them?
            3. Chevy: same question ad infinitum…

          9. 1guy: a creation cannot explain it’s creator.
            Finite cannot explain infinity.
            Existence will never cease.
            Alpha never happened and omega will never be.
            The human mind, encapsulated within a cavity smaller than a cantaloupe cannot explain it’s creator, it’s own beginning or it’s own end, it’s own purpose or control it’s own dreams as it sleeps at night. But it has the ability to determine how, who, when and by what means the universe was created? Futile and hilarious.

          10. Old Chevy.

            I answered your questions but you didn’t answer mine. Give it your best shot.

            So humans can’t explain god. So why would they believe? Can’t explain it, can’t prove it, everyone sees it differently and it requires blind faith to actually believe in. Is that your position?

          11. So you ignore the riddle. If there is a god(s) where did it/they come from. Did a mega god create god who created life? Did a mega-mega god create the mega god who created god who created life? After all the popular refrain from those who “believe” is that we couldn’t have just evolved. And that even more than that life couldn’t have just evolved at such an advanced level. But somehow we must believe that a much high evolved “god” just appeared from nothing and was able to create this complex world and life.
            God is a concept to explain all the unknowns but it by it’s definition creates far more unknowns. The faith believers won’t talk about this because it refutes all their claims.

            Is there a god? Well, there is no evidence of one, merely superstition. But if there were one it had to come from or be created by someone. And that someone had to be created by someone, ad infinitum.

        2. I understand your deep emotional conditioning. But, when you apply Reason to your words, it reveals them to be utter gibberish. Quite simply, you have no idea of what you are attempting to talk about.

    2. All that replyed:
      I tend to be a Buddhist, does that mean I dont beleive in a God?
      Can the existance of God be proven OR disproven?
      Back to the article the Truth is not in a belief, conception, or feeling.
      Truth is not in what you think to be fact. But in fact itself.
      Fact, humans need “air” to survive. No air dead
      Feeling, I beleive in God, no God (in your belief) you still live.
      Understanding that Truth & Emotionally thinking are seperate things is the first step im understanding the division among humans.

      1. NRP your question is a bit rhetorical only you know your belief in God. A life where only Facts YOU personally have observed as Truth would be a tiny world indeed. Deciding what Facts others have observed as Truth could not be accepted as Truth to you as you have nor personally observed it. A life with out emotion would be pretty barren to myself. Laughter, Loneliness and Pain are part of what makes us human.

        That said as often I have had to comfort the dying the most common theme when you KNOW your dying is to seek out comfort from a Loving God. It is easy to sit back in your comfy chair drinking a nice cup to debate the provability of God. So many soldiers I knew to be foul mouthed non-believers suddenly decide when their guts are hanging out that they want a Loving God.

        In the German work camps and the Soviet Gulags it was observed that some could survive a while with Anger or Indifference the overwork, cold and starvation. BUT those that survived the longest had a strong belief system about a Loving God and they were the bulk of the survivors after the camps were closed down by Allied troops. As the Bible says “A broken spirit who can stand”

        I’ve known folks who privately told me they know God exists but they do not want to live under THOSE Rules until late in life. You know the Cake and eat it too crowd. Some found time in dying from cancer to find God but some died too suddenly to do that decision. It is sad to have a conversation with their survivors who really want me to tell them He was RIGHT with God before he passed.

        Truth is all I ask from people is to be Good Neighbors. I’d like to be able to go shopping with out fear my home will be robbed and burned while I’m out. I’d like to help my neighbors in those small tasks and they help me in turn. I truthfully am at peace about your belief or lack of belief in God. That is His Bailiwick as I can only show you the way gently and you make your choices. As long as your belief system does not harm others I am Ok with that. God will resolve it when you die.

        Truth is not always an observable “Fact”. Not that many decades ago the TRUTH was disease was caused by “Bad Smells”. Thus the plague masks with exaggerated nose horns to tuck in flowers and such.

        To me the worst of all is Lying to YOURSELF. People who can choose to accept a lie as Truth are unstable as they have no Base of Truth to decide what is right or wrong. Proverbs chapter 26 is full of comments about this. Worth a read sometime. You don’t even have to own a Bible to look it up on Google.

        Always enjoy your thoughts NRP. Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron…..

  5. what is considered “truth” is often subjected to one’s personal point of view
    none of us have the same set of eyes or experiences in life
    we each “hear” the “truth” through our uniqueness and may come to different conclusions
    we may see or witness an event but each one’s version of the truth may be different based on our focus
    as someone else said, honesty is pretty rare these days…
    I believe one’s understanding in any matter can develop and grow through careful and thoughtful search and investigation…though it seems today, some do not want to acknowledge what is true or reality because it is does not line up with what is normal to them, don’t want to face it or deal with it…

    “What is truth?” -Pilate (John 18:38)

    I’m following the Good Shepherd…
    John 14:6, John 8:32

      1. If one is absent of belief, there is no need to confirm it. One need not have ever addressed the absurdity of Theology at all, and be totally oblivious of the cognitively empty term, “god.” No denial is required, merely the absence of an affirmative belief. If one is absent of a positive belief in invisible, magical, spooks, this is only a sign such a person may be Rational…and not emotionally conditioned to adopt undefined, cognitively empty, and contradictory, non-concepts…as worthy of consideration.

      1. BJH
        That is enough for me, wishing someone would to put super glue in his chap stick.

      2. Bill Jenkins Horse is alive! Miss your posts lately.

        And that’s the Truth Pfffft!

        I wonder if anyone picks up the reference :-)

  6. It’s OK, you have your story, and then there’s the truth!
    Honest, it wasn’t me, that’s the truth!
    If I had a nickel for every time you told me that story, I’d be $$$$$.

  7. There are physical truths and philosophical truths. Some truths are subjective and some are concrete. I prefer black or white and try to avoid the grey areas – a classic book read something like this “a compromise between food and poison has one winner, death”.
    If NRP says he has 600 rolls of TP, I believe him, but if he said he has all his marbles, well ???. :)

      1. For some of us 2-3 marbles is all it takes… HAHAHA

        The real question is
        “Is 600 rolls really enough?”.

  8. The Russians stole the truth.

    The check is in the mail.

    God told me to do it.

    Elect me, and there will be a chicken in every pot.

    It depends on what your definition of ” is ” is.

    Hold my beer and watch this.

    All the above statements are true – to someone.

    That does not mean they are the truth.

    God gave you grey matter between your eyes for a reason.

    Use it to sift through the blathering of false prophets.

    1. I prefer the provable statements. I rest can remain in speculation until shown to be lies or the truth. The passing of time does tend to answer most questions and DNA certainly helps to prove many crimes/lies.

  9. You ask “What is the truth?”

    I would answer that truth is a descriptor for something that is real. It is reality, actuality, or any number of other words and synonyms that indicate what is being referred to is not fake or false.

    You then ask “How do you know that it’s true?” and what mechanisms we use to determine truth.

    I would answer by experiencing it, observing what is being referred to, checking facts, using our individual faculties (reasoning, intelligence, etc.), testing, and other various means to validate it. For many Christians, Truth is also confirmed by the Holy Spirit. We read the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit confirms it to us.

    When you ask how it is that so many easily and blindly accept statements as truth I think you answered your own question in the posing of it- for decades we have taught our children to obey authority figures- policemen, teachers, etc. We place those people on pedestals and forget to question them. When we are little and enter school, we start learning things from teachers that easily prove to be true- simple math, how to read, basic science. As we progress though, we reach levels where we cannot easily prove something to be true or false so we start accepting that what we are being told by these authority figures is true.

    As we grow up, it takes a long time (never in some cases) for people to reach a point where they don’t accept what they are told by authority figures as automatically being true. That “authority” transfers to others- College professors, the government, doctors, “reporters”, etc. to the point where they can lie to us, even telling us things that we can easily prove are not true (via a little research) but because these people have always represented “authority”, we continue to accept their teachings and information as truth.

    One person’s truth differing from another is a long philosophical discussion, but I do believe perceptions comes heavily into play. We all view the world through the lenses of our own experience, beliefs, bias, knowledge, and desires. These are like lenses on a pair of glasses or filters on a pair of headphones, as most of what we see or hear is filtered to a degree through them. A passage or verse in the Bible may come to mean one thing to one person, but something different to someone else. Is one of them wrong? Not necessarily. The Word can have multiple “meanings” even to the same person. They all may be truth.

    Yes, facts are facts. And yes, they can usually be easily manipulated to steer us into seeing them one way or another. That manipulation cannot change the facts, but it takes allot of time to research what is spewed at us all day by day, even moment to moment. Time we don’t have to spend looking everything up and weighing its validity otherwise we would not be able to function in the modern world. We have to obtain money, maintain our homes and possessions, obtain sustenance, prepare it, eat, sleep- you get the idea. So we tend to find someone whose reporting seems to most closely align with our views and “trust” them. We tend to find a teacher whose teachings do the same.

    What happens when half of a population believes one truth while the other believes an opposing truth? That depends greatly on how determined either side is to impose their truth upon the other combined with how willing the side being imposed upon is to allow it. If the side being imposed upon reaches a point where they are unwilling to continue “going along to get along”, conflict of some sort results.

    I agree with your suggestion that much of “authority” may actually be un-virtuous. They lie to further their own goals, abuse their authority, and attempt to manipulate. I see far too much of that these days. There is one Authority that does not lie. He cannot lie. Place your trust in Him.

  10. “The person without the spirit does not understand the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are only discerned through the Spirit.”

    “Satan believes in God, and He trembles”

    If you can’t see the reality of God, it’s because you refuse to be still long enough to know and recognize His reality and establish that spiritual connection. Try it and be enlightened. don’t let your “logic” separate you from the best relationship you can have. You have no idea what you’re missing.

  11. I have stopped trying to figure out the truth for a long time and I have followed the money. When I was in college studying Economics, I was enrolled in the Teacher Credentialing program at my school. One instructor mentioned:

    “If we do not spend the money on schools, we will eventually spend the money on prisons.”

    How right she was. I saw school budgets get slashed while CDC expanded from 15 prisons to 22 under the governorship of Pete Wilson. Back then I was still working as an LEO and I made the switch to healthcare within a correctional setting.

    To Dennis: Teaching critical thinking? Good luck on that one. There is no curriculum that even tries to address that issue. During my last year of nursing school, I got a job as a tutor within the college system we were enrolled in. I was teaching a variety of skills to include basic mathematics to calculate iV fluid drip rates to students that were having trouble. ( there was basic algebra involved.).

    Keep in mind that many of the students were also from overseas. (Phillipines, Nigeria, Mexico, Central America, Ukraine among others). so English was their second language. I am a big fan of trade schools but critical thinking is something that is very difficult to teach because the knowledge passed on within a trade school to a person that has poor command of English language is like drinking from a firehose.

    The last stage of education or training in trade schools is called preceptorship where you are working under the license of another nurse on a busy floor. I passed and did ok. This is where many who do not get the big picture ( ability to think critically.) will fail in making sound decisions. We had a straight-A idiot among our class. She graduated alright by virtue of her GPA alone. I do not know if she is working.

    I studied in college enough to be skeptical of the sources of information out there yet I still had to work and make a living. Searching for the truth is fine for those who have the time to do so. I still find myself the only one in the room at times asking about the source of information. The internet simply adds more info out there to sift through. Entertaining but I do not rely on it for “the truth”.

    1. CaliRefugee,
      Now, there’s some real truth – follow the money.
      As a past-life forensic accountant, there is some real truth there. You follow the trail, you see who gains from what actions… and in the end, it is so often simply about the money. Who had the most to gain, and who was willing to sell their soul for money (and sometimes resultant power).

  12. Sorry for the long post.

    Now it is time to spin the fat cats.

    One has to have their priorities

  13. Real truth only exist in the BIBLE. That’s a hard statement to back up, but it is the way I feel. What we read or are told in this world is only a matter of one’s opinion. All though it could be true, it is subjective to the listener opinion of the info to decide if he thinks it’s true..

    Much of what we deal with, every day, is people who think they are in an authoritative position over you and their word is fact, Example, Children’s Hospital, Son’s Doctor, Your Bank, or an effort with LEO. Much on the internet is just plain false, told to us to get us to buy in to their agenda, Example, food storage, prepping, politics.

    We Patriots here on MSB, use our knowledge to decipher what we think is “TRUE” and “HONEST”, info. I know I do,

    Stay firm, and Believe in our Heavenly Father

  14. There are some truths that can be proven; the earth is round, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I can not prove or disprove the existence of God but I can prove that my life has changed for the better since I have decided to have a conscience contact with Him. When I do what I believe is right, don’t lie, cheat or steal and treat people with respect, my life gets better and I am generally happy. When I do whatever I want to with no regard for other people, I become miserable. I can not give you evidence that God exist but give Him a try and see if your life gets better. It’s simple little experiment.

  15. If someone only has 2 or 3 marbles then that person certainly can not understand (comprehend) God. I have applied “critical thinking” to the study of biochemistry and math all my life and with all my energy and I can safely say no human has enough marbles to understand the full extend of biochemistry of even just the human body. Now just think about how many life forms are here on earth each with their own biochemistry. Now let’s apply some math. How could all these forms of biochemistry exist without some form of God to set up things and run the all these life forms of biochemistry. Probability (math) says these systems could not exist ( and function) without some form of manager(God). When someone tells me they are a critical thinker I then understand how little they (and I ) know about reality (truth). I hope there is another MSBLOG person here that has studied biochemistry so that someone here will have some understanding where I am comming from.

    1. Texas boy,

      I do (background in biology, chemistry, and college level math through calculus). Yes, you are correct, most researchers come to realize as they make new discoveries, and hit their limits to understand the complexities of what they are yet to fully comprehend, come to the conclusion of intelligent design as the only plausible explanation. Of course their conclusion is shouted down or ignored by those who can’t admit that possibility. Even Darwin admitted later in life, after more discoveries in biology, that just the complexities of the human eye brought into doubt many of his writings on the origin of the species.

  16. You can almost always tell who is telling the truth. The person telling the truth doesn’t try to shout the other person down. He knows the other guy’s arguments are foolish and doesn’t mind if he makes a fool of himself.

    The guy who is not telling the truth doesn’t want anyone to hear the good argument on the other side for fear everyone will know he is lying. So he tries to shut him up so no one can hear him.

    It doesn’t matter how the “shouting down” occurs — whether it is a large mob keeping a speaker from speaking, social media hiding the comments of the people they disagree with, or a government punishing people who speak against them.

    You won’t often go wrong by believing the person who someone else is trying to shut up.

    1. Amen DaisyK! Tango you are also correct thus the herd mentality issue that Demagogues use to control the Mob to do their bidding. Dennis and Texas Boy I have often used the Human eye as an example of Intelligent Design. After you get them to accept that idea you ask them Who or What is the Author of Intelligent Design.

      In the final accounting God has the final say.

      A lot of good thoughts today aside from the anonymous folks who post and not explain their thoughts when challenged.

  17. I have met the Truth. My heart was full of blood and when he passed by I reached out and touched the hem of His clothing and was made whole. I was blind and He touched my eye’s and I could see. I was dead in my sins and He called me from my tomb to life. Can I prove any of these claims? No! As a Jew all I know is He is my Messiah and soon coming King of Israel, Yeshua .

  18. The truth about freedom?

    Read this quote today on another site:


    – Frank Zappa

    1. That’s an interesting way to put it… just a show. It all seems real enough until the lights come up, and the props are cleared and the truth of the whole thing is laid bare.

      I know a lot of people who refuse to believe their favorite politicians have been part of a conspiracy. They consider all evidence doctored, they want so badly to believe that someone who they voted for, perhaps even trusted – is NOT really just another lying liar who lies.

      And the more documents that are un-redacted, and the more bits that emerge, the more we see just how many people in power were/are advancing their own agendas, ripping all of us off, and/or helping themselves while trampling those who they were/are sworn to protect – the sicker it makes me.

    2. Is it profitable to continue the illusion only as long as the dollar has any value? Did they take down the scenery, pull back the curtains, and move the tables and chairs out of the way in Venezuela?

      1. CR in Venezuela for the peasants is not the Free Stuff for everybody socialist curtain already gone? Slow starvation, lack of safe drinking water, Hyperinflation, black out’s, beatings and death from Police and Soldiers as well as Government Sponsored Thugs. Only fear of losing what little they still have keeps the peeeple in line so far……..

        The Ruling class continues to shuffle assets out of the country so when the full revolt occurs they can flee in comfort.

        Looks like all those Illusions the Peeeeple voted for have been disproved so maybe the Brick Wall of Socialist Reality is in plain sight?

        I think Ken’s Frank Zappa quote is quite on target. When my greatest fear of Socialist driven Mob rule becomes daily reality here in America our faces will be driven into the Theater’s Brick Wall. Oh the Deep State and it’s Media allies will try to use the Mob for a tool easily put back on the wall. But a Mob like CIA trained and equipped Terrorists have a mind of their own.

        Those “Deniable Assets” are hard to stop once they get going, like a “Controlled Burn” that turns into a raging forest fire because of “Unforeseen” events like a wind storm.

        Or as some body once said “Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the mouth”.

        Pray for wisdom He will provide.

  19. What is the truth?
    A good question to ask a politician or the MSM. No?
    Tell a lie enough times, the people will believe it.
    We’ve all seen it. We’ve all heard it.
    We all have been around the block a few times. We have suspicion. We dig for the truth with researching information.
    “I will tell…..maybe a little white lie, only if it can benefit me in some way.”
    The work place for example. I’m dang tired of that crap.

  20. Well, this is sure an interesting topic!
    How many of us know someone who is certain they know “the truth” about something?
    How many of us have had discussions or arguments with someone who was so sure they knew the truth, that they were absolutely, positively correct about something… no matter what?

    My own opinion is that people become comfortable with certain truths in their lives. For anyone to acknowledge that something they have come to accept as a “truth” is really just an opinion, and possibly wrong at that, would be very unsettling – and way too uncomfortable for many people.

    The parent who refuses to believe their child has a drug problem, the spouse who denies their partner is cheating even when shown evidence of it, the neighbor who cannot believe the super-nice guy next door is a mass-murderer. How many people do we all know who live in denial of something that to us is evident?

    In some cases, the truth is just too painful to believe. In others, people are too arrogant or too self-righteous to accept that something they believe in is simply not so. To admit to the truth would be admitting to being wrong – something many won’t do. So, for many people, it is less painful, and more comfortable to stick with the “truths” they have come to believe.

    For me, particularly when it comes to “news”, I seldom believe anything. If something is important enough for me to want to know more, I do my own research. I try to find multiple sources. I look for the difference in reporting between facts and commentary (opinion). I know many sources have an axe to grind, or an agenda, and they cannot be relied upon to report something that does not serve their own interests. Basically, I have become a total skeptic.

  21. Well let’s see. I read the Bible when I was a kid, started with Revelations, of course. None of it made sense to me. Passages were contradictory to other passages and to logic at large. I understood the words, but taken in aggregate, I give it 1 star. The story of Jesus also seems to change with the whim of those who preach the word and those who hide behind it. I tried out a number of different churches and faiths when I was young. None spoke to me. All seemed like a hustle to some degree.

    Then, as a young adult and new father almost 25 years ago, I fell ill. Wound up in the ICU in grave condition. All the white-coats had given up. The sentence was written… ‘IF’ I survived, I would be ‘confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life’. There was no question about it, the damage was done, it was a clinical fact. Everyone had given up. Even my dear wife was preparing for final arrangements. The only thing left in this world that I had access to was my own mind… and God… wherever he may or may not be.

    I prayed to that mystery man in the sky. I prayed night and day. I barred people from my hospital room who interrupted my praying. Four months later I went home in a wheelchair, condemned to remain there forever. I kept praying. Night and day. I am in no mood right now to recall the gory details. I think the story can be summed up by stating that I witnessed a miracle. A real, live, totally unfathomable, inexplicable MIRACLE.

    And I will TESTIFY before any man or women in this world, to those FACTS.
    As a very non-religious person, I stand before you today to humbly and graciously PRAISE GOD!! He/She/It, is the ULTIMATE TRUTH in this world! Wherever he is, whatever he is, however he is.

    Thank you.

  22. The truth
    is what WE want, what we want to believe to be the truth.
    We will purposely generate ideas, beliefs for the better of ourselfs to benefit from our idea of that.to.be ‘true’. We will contour, reinterpret, redefine written words as it ‘fits’ into our belief of what our thought is to be ‘true’.
    It doesn’t matter if it’s religion, our work ethics, or lack thereof our understanding of the Constitution, our morals.
    Whatever benfits an individual, or a group, IS the ‘truth’ that they believe in and coerce others to believe with them.
    Make sense or am I just a Joe?

  23. I have spent a lifetime looking for ‘the Truth’. whether on the job as an engineer, or in my personal life . Many times I have banned emotion to find an engineering answer, yet many times I have used by gut when my engineering mind said different, and found the truth where I did not think it would be. Like others above,, the best chance of me finding “the Truth” about anything is after meditation, prayer, and a consult with The Almighty. Not saying their aren’t other ways, but this is the way I have found that is sure fire for me. I thank the Creator for allowing me to seek and find Truth, no matter its nature, good or bad, through communion with Him/Her.

  24. Row, row row your boat
    Gently down the stream

    You know how when you’re dreaming, you think what’s going on in the dream is real?
    You go along with the dream like it’s “reality”. It seems real.

    Then when you wake up you think “okay, now I’m in the REAL reality, and that other life was just a dream” .
    But what if THIS life is just another dream that you woke up into? You were so sure that your previous dream was real, only to wake up and realize it wasn’t…

    I think dying will be the real wake-up for me, and I’ll look back on this life and smile at how I took it all so seriously, when it was just a dream…

  25. Looks like the Bible ban that was lifted from Cuba has been imported to California, as some billboards had to be taken down because they had an image of the Bible with Pastor Greg Laurie on them.
    No Truth, no freedom. Know Truth, know freedom.

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