Is Truth Relative or Absolute???

Question

Just because we in our limited human perceptions are unable to grasp the totality of truth, does that mean truth is limited to our admittedly faulty perceptions?

Many folks seem to think we can all have our own personal truth relative to our own bias. To me that is what DELUSION is, not TRUTH

It is like blind men trying to define the elephant. None are really incorrect, yet none have the total truth because their perceptions are limited.

Don't you think truth is like that?

Don't you think that regardless of our own preconceived notions and our own bias that perhaps...just maybe...even in our grant and wonderful intelligence that it is possible that we have not grasped the toatlity of truth. Maybe we are even...dare I say...mistaken in our perceptions?

Or are there an infinite number of contradictory truths for every idiot running around in the world?

What are your thoughts

Answer 1

One could argue that relative truths aren't truths at all, but instead are opinions or preferences.  I have never seen a convincing argument that there is no absolute truth.  I suggest that (in our universe) the phenomena described by the laws of physics are absolute truth.  I suggest that the existence of God is an absolute truth:  God exists, or God does not exist.  One is correct, the other is not.  Proving the correctness of one or the other may be impossible, yet only one is true.  In my opinion, to speak of contradictory truths is to misuse the word 'truth'.

Answer 2

"There are everyday truths and absolute truths. The opposite of an everyday truth is clearly not true. The opposite of an absolute truth is true as well." - Niels Bohr

I think that many "truths" are just personal perceptions. If somebody can't stand the taste of fish, for example, then the statement "Fish taste bad" is true to them, but false to somebody that loves the taste of fish.

There is nothing bad about them, unless they start to venture into discrimination, violence and immoral actions.

Answer 3

A 12-inch ruler is a foot long. True or false?  For our use, true. If you get down to a molecular level, false.

It's like the old joke about a problem presented to a mathematician and an engineer. A naked man and a naked woman are placed at opposite ends of the room. Every minute, they halve the distance between them. The mathematician says that they will never meet. The engineer says that they will get close enough for all practical purposes.

Answer 4

Interesting question, and the point you make that I find most worthy in your question is in regard to what constitutes truth or delusion.

I think delusion is when one outlier subscribes to a belief that most people, whom by logic, common sense, experience, or whatever reasonable intelligent means, regard that belief as false. A delusion is that which is false, but subscribed to regardless.

There are, of course, local and global truths. 'My wife is a nag....my friend's wife is a nag.....my neighbor's wife is a nag, so....most wives are nags'. True for this poor soul?.....evidently.....true for everyone?....no way.

I do believe in an intrinsic, all encompassing truth....a global truth. The cops caught the murderer. He did not confess, but witnesses, and evidence aims blame to him. there is no DNA present...no way to test....is he guilty? The cops arrested him, he's tried in court....is he really guilty? He's found guilty by his peers.....he's given his sentence....but....is he really guilty? No way for us to know for sure.....if he's executed, would it be of an innocent man?

Can these errors be by faulty perception? Maybe, in some cases, so I'd have to say yes, they can.........This guy cut me off on the highway....'he's a careless, moron!'.......no.....maybe the guy is stressed because someone he loves is gravely ill, or has died. Or maybe he's just lost an important romantic relationship and is emotionally overwrought.

These are simplistic examples....but there's many of them.....obvious ones, but even with all this I don't think I really answered your question.........just stating the obvious............hmmmmmmmmm.