Whose Truth!?
- The Filter
- Nov 2, 2017
- 2 min read
One thing I would like to point out is the distinction between "absolute" truth and "objective" truth.
"Absolute" truth, as you indicated, means truth that is unchanging, final, and unqualified.
"Objective" truth, on the other hand, means truth that isn't dependent upon a subject's perspective but upon the object from a disinterested point of view.
Furthermore, one could speak about something as being "universally true" of both an object and a subject. This means it applies to every single particular case.
Although many might argue that an "objective" and "universal" truth is necessarily "absolute," this isn't necessarily the case.
One could make a claim about objects that hold universally, but does not hold without qualification; that is, isn't absolute or ultimate, but depends upon the particular method of inquiry, the subject matter sought after, the current scientific theories, or the particular historical situation.
Epistemological concerns also enter into this; every representation of a truth in language depends on the definitions of words to have meaning. But a definition is a limitation, and if a truth is applied universally, there will always be a way for an exception to find its way in through the incapacity of a definition to include its own opposite. That is, if there are absolute universal truths, they are impossible to represent in language. So how do we "know" them? I would suggest that we know them nonrepresentationally, in the same way, that we know something (and know that we know it) before we find the words to say it. Truth, therefore, is something we become, as opposed to something we possess.
This idea also bridges the gap between subjectivity and objectivity. Objectivity refers to impartiality, which can be subjective -- we can be impartial about the contents of our dreams, about the reality of our emotions inner experiences, for example. So truth does not need to be external or "demonstrable to others" (I.e., scientific objectivity) in order to be objective. And also subjective. That is, we can prove truths to ourselves, and know that we are not deceiving ourselves.
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