varying degrees of truth

I had always thought that truth was binary, things were true or not and that was that - however, that is far from the truth…

Truth is a creature elusive, changing colours in the light of perception - it seeks to be sought out but is often hidden in plain sight or in the shadows of the unknown.

We often conflate different types of truths, mistaking partial truths for whole truths as we’re seduced by the allure of our own vantage points, clutching to personal truths as if they are universal truths, forgetting that others too have their own vantage points.

So what are the different types of truths? I'm sure that there are frameworks that categorise different types of truths, but i’m ignoring that and going off vibes.

I’ve broken truth down into:

• relative truths
• time contingent truths
• personal truths
• objective truths
• universal truths

Relative truths

Example: 1 litre of water is a lot

We find that relative truths crumble under the shifting sands of perspective and context. Subject to the whims of individual interpretation, and cultural frameworks, these truths can offer a nuanced understanding within specific contexts. However, they are vulnerable to bias and distortion.

Time contingent truths

Example: A 100m sprint in 12 seconds is quick (this was the world record in 1896, but is average today)

Whilst these types of truths provide us with insights within a specific temporal context, it’s their transient nature that weakens them. These are truths, believed to be immutable as they’re etched in stone, but do stones not erode as they’re weathered by the winds of cultural norms and the erosion of time?

Personal truths

Example: I like spicy food

These truths may hold significance for the individual, personal truths don’t necessarily align with broader truths that transcend individual subjectivity.

Objective truths

Example of objective: grass is green

Objective truths are the beating heart of a shared reality, drawing their strength from the fact that they’re universal, verifiable, and independent of personal opinions or perspective. The unyielding reality of a grass’ greenness has and will echo through time, with no dispute.

Whilst these truths tell us a lot about the external world, it’s always always through the lens of how we perceive them.

We don’t have, or cannot have, knowledge of things in and of themselves - in their true form. We only know grass as something in a given space, in a particular time, as something we perceive through our senses - what is grass when it is not a subject of our sensory perception and it is free from the confines of space and time? We will never know.

Universal truths

Example of universal: 1 + 1 = 2

This is the truest truth we have spoken about so far, one that I don’t need to elaborate on whatsoever. Universal truths are build upon axioms, a set of foundational principles assumed to be self-evident and not requiring proof. The issue lies in the fact that the choice of axioms are not arbitrary, and could vary from culture to culture, and in symbolic representations.

An example of difference in symbolic representation can be seen in the following:

• Base 10 - decimal system: 1 + 1 = 2
• Base 2 - binary system: 1 + 1 = 10

One could argue that whilst they are represented differently, they both encapsulate the notion that adding one item to another item results in two items - which would be a correct assertion.

However, in the realm of quantum physics, universal truths find themselves entwined in uncertainty. Take quantum entanglement for example, a phenomena where particles, that are physically distant, behave as through they are a part of a unified system - this challenges our classical notion of counting.

Exceptions to the rule

In our data-driven world, diving into the importance of statistical data and statements like “human beings have 2 arms” becomes important. People often conflate this statement as an assertion that every single human being has 2 arms. However, it suggests that, statistically speaking, a randomly selected person from a population is likely to have 2 arms.

Are there people with more or fewer arms? Yes, yet this doesn’t invalidate the general rule. Unlike the postmodern perspective of deconstructionism which challenges the notion of fixed rules, a rule can encompass exceptions and still be true.

So, what is the truth?

I would define the truth as something that provides us with a comprehensive and enduring understanding of the world around us, the more comprehensive and enduring something it is, truer it is.

The Truth is Real, the Truth is something that isn’t relative, personal, or contingent on time, space, or our perception of reality. Truth is and will always Be.

The Truth is Al-Haqq.