10.14.2008

Truth

This word, or concept, has seemed to have fallen to the side of the road as of late. What does it mean? Is it a relative term to the individual or is it a constant? Should it be a constant?

Truth:

1 archaic : fidelity , constancy b: sincerity in action, character, and utterance

Truth should be a constant. When I married my wife I committed myself to her in every way. To love her, stand by her in sickness and health, etc.... the truth of the matter is that I have bonded myself with her for the rest of our lives. This is a truth. This is a constant. In today's society marriage is becoming more of a whimsical thought. There seems to be less and less weight carried in one's spoken word of commitment.

Truth cannot be relative. Two plus two will always be two. And for those of us who know now and for those who will learn, God will always be God.

2 comments:

Lee said...

Hi Ryan,

Our dictionary is a little different:-

truth

1. Conformity to fact or actuality.
2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
3. Sincerity; integrity.
4. Fidelity to an original or standard.
5.
a. Reality; actuality.
b. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/truth

I think you are looking at point 3 and 4 where I would talk of 1, 2 and 5a

Is this important? Maybe, because I think I am missing your point.

Truth should be a constant.

The ‘truth’ should not change... so yep – you could say ‘constant’.

A fact is a fact and all that.

When I married my wife I committed myself to her in every way.

I married my wife and that is a fact – after that I am not sure where ‘truth’ comes into it.

It is a ‘fact’ that I made similar commitments as you stated, it is ‘true’ that I made them – I ‘hope’ to keep to them.

However I cannot call this a ‘fact’ or ‘truth’ until the ‘marriage contract’ is complete (To death do us part and all that maybe)

In today's society marriage is becoming more of a whimsical thought. There seems to be less and less weight carried in one's spoken word of commitment.

The youth of today – wasn’t like this in my day... actually it was and has been for 100’s of years (Just look at good old Henry VIII – could not make his mind up – and he was ‘defender of the faith’ and head of the English Church no less)

Truth cannot be relative. Two plus two will always be two.

Yep...

And for those of us who know now and for those who will learn, God will always be God.

Ah... could have a problem with this statement.

I am clearing missing your understanding of ‘truth’

Thanks

Lee

Havok said...

Ryan: Two plus two will always be two.

I think the above is a conventional truth. Due to the conventions of language and the rules of maths, "2 + 2 = 4" is a true statement.
Outside of that convention, it is simply a few squiggles.
Christians often say they derive from the nature of Yahweh, which would make logical and mathematical truths subjective (dependant on the nature of Yahweh).

Which of these do you think is the case concerning math and logic?
- platonic: existing "somewhere", outside of and not dependent on Yahweh or his creation.
- Deriving from the nature of Yahweh
- Conventional, as (briefly) described above.


Ryan: And for those of us who know now and for those who will learn, God will always be God.

But how do you know that what you think of as god, with those attributes etc, is God? The concept of God varies widely across time, and between different people. You know you're onto the right thing because...?