Can the contrary of a truth be demonstrated?

Question

Elmer Fudd...but you look like Mr. Magoo...I'm so confused.

Answer 1

To say, "The contrary of a truth was demonstrated" is not really a contradiction of terms. But "The contradiction of a truth was demonstrated" is. The contradiction of a truth is always false whenever the truth is of the nature that it has a contradiction. Other truths (true propositions) have no contradictions. And, of course, contradictory statements and contrary statements are not the same.

Answer 2

What a lot of us haven't considered thus far is the context we find that 'truth' to be demonstrated in....

1) Say I go to an intersection in my city, at 5th and Main St; I observe that all cars between 9 a.m and 11 a.m. faithfully stop at red-lights at all corners of that particular intersection.

2) Depending how you state these observations of 'truth', becomes wether it 'could' ever become 'contrary'.

3) Example: If you make a blanket statement like: "All cars at the intersection of 5th and Main St, stop at all red-lights of that particular intersection"

4) Though your observation from 9-11 a.m this 'truth' was true enough, if I go to that same intersection and observe one car, say an ambulance, police-car, or a teenager racing to a near-by McDonalds because she's late for work, then your truth's-contrary becomes demonstrated or observable.

5) It is always better to state the context, observable data(the time 9-11 a.m.) that your blanket-statement fits into...

6) Example "All traffic at the Intersection of 5th and Main street, in my local-city from 9a.m. to 11.a.m on 7/17/08 faithfully stopped at all corners of the intersection."

7) Stating the context thusly, helps your truth have less potential for 'demonstrated contrarieness'

8) Qualified Truth with the tool of Context, may limit its applications to different contexts, but it also limits the contrariness that can be stated in that very context.

Answer 3

Under classical contrariness, no. In a contrary relationship, it is possible for both statements to be false, but it is not possible for both statements to be true. That which is not true cannot be demonstrated.

If you're talking about contrariness in a less formal manner, I can only suppose that you would be equating contrariness with contradiction. This would not be possible either, and for the same reason.

Answer 4

Yes.  The contrary of a truth is anything which is inconsistent with the truth.

Answer 5

The question pre-supposes that a truth already exists, has already been demonstrated, otherwise how can one talk of its contrary? Therefore,the conrtrary of a truth does not even have to be demonstrated; just asserting it will be enough.

Answer 6

No way! Because the moment you start pulling, pushing, dissecting etc.. it is no longer a truth.  And even if you have doubts, you are trying to proof that it is not a LIE.  Which, as far as I'm concerned, is easier than your proposition.

Peace.

Answer 7

you mean like for example could we show that the republicans are good people who have our interests at heart?

no because they dont

so there is an example of how the opposite of a truth is untruth