Philosophical Concepts of Truth and Existence
States of Mind Regarding Truth
Ignorance
A state of mind admitting ignorance about a particular matter.
Questioning
A state where one cannot affirm or deny the truth, because the reasons for and against are quite similar.
Subjective Certainty
A state where one’s mind accepts the truth of claims without admitting any possibility of equivocation.
Criteria for Determining Truth
Authority
A statement is accepted as true because it comes from someone credited with knowledge of the subject.
Tradition
A certain concept, over time, has been accepted and enjoys popular or institutional support.
Correspondence Between Thought and Reality
A thought is true if what we think matches empirical reality. When thought is expressed in language, the criterion is to establish the adequacy or correspondence between what is stated and what is real. Experimental verification is one form of this adaptation.
Logical Consistency (Logico-Mathematical Criterion)
This criterion checks that there is no contradiction between statements belonging to a single system, and that these statements necessarily derive from established axioms or principles.
Utility
A statement is true when it is beneficial and useful, when it can guide us in reality and advance our research.
Evidence
This is the fundamental criterion. Something is obviously presented as undisputed, as intuitively true, but it is often necessary to show it through reasoning. In the realm of reason, obvious principles are considered primary, as rational and sensible evidence.
Major Theories of Truth
Coherence Theory of Truth
This theory uses the criterion of consistency for propositional truth. The truth of a proposition depends on its incorporation into a possible or impossible set of propositions held as true. It is a contextual criterion, whereby nothing is true or false in isolation, but each of our knowledge points is essentially referred to and connected with the rest of the integrated system of knowledge.
Pragmatist Theory of Truth (William James)
Utility, in this context, means the resolution of operational problems (success in action) and also a beneficial impact (bonuses).
Consensus Theory of Truth (Jürgen Habermas)
When we say something is true, we are implying that we have sufficient reasons to convince other participants of the truth of this proposition, provided they freely discuss the issue without external pressures, in a search for truth itself. The basic contribution is to show that humans do not have any other form of access to truth than arguing and listening to the reasons of others, with the aim of achieving consensus on what is true.
Dimensions of Reality
Contingent Reality
Refers to something that is present, but may cease to exist, leading to a fear of its absence.
Necessary Reality
Refers to something that is absolutely true or must exist.
Sensory or Physical Reality
This is the reality we perceive through our senses.
Mental Reality
Designates the reality of thoughts, imaginations, and so on. There are two different aspects: the activity and the content of thought referring to this reality.
Virtual Reality
Refers to the set of perceptions and feelings generated with the help of a support system.
Possibility and Reality
In actuality, we can speak of what is possible. What is still possible is not yet real; it does not exist yet. Something is possible when its development is planned or anticipated.
Reality, Life, and History
Affirming the historicity of the concept of reality involves defending a dynamic world. The reality presented to us is constantly in flux and is never definitively finished. In the twentieth century, hermeneutics especially revealed that historicity is a basic component of our understanding of reality (as seen in thinkers like Hegel and Heraclitus).
Following Ortega’s insights, life should not be understood simply in a biographical and biological sense. Life is considered something irreducible to biological processes; it is based on a historically understood reality in which we are finite. This line of thought proposes an objective understanding of life.