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Truth Defined |
Over 60 pages of insight into the Nature of Truth
Table of Contents Part 1- The Definition of Truth Part 2- Grammatical Analysis Part 3- A Clarification Part 4 - Select References |
Part 1 - The Definition of Truth |
We begin by admitting that we do not have a definition for the word
Truth.
Yet we need to use the word in our attempt to define it. Therefore, we have no
choice but to begin with an intuitive concept of
Truth.
1. Truth Exists It is self-defeating to deny the existence of truth. If someone claims that “Truth does not exist,” then we can counter by asking if the claim is True or False. If the claim is False, then Truth Exists, and if the claim is True, then Truth Exists.
2. Truth is Unchangeable It is impossible for truth to change. What is true today always has been and always will be true. All true propositions are immutable truths. Pragmatic views of truth that imply that what is true today may be false tomorrow, are untenable. If truth changes, then pragmatism will be untrue tomorrow, if indeed it could ever be true.
3. Truth is Eternal By extension of its Unchangeable nature, Truth must be Eternal. Even if every created thing ceases to exist, Truth will continue to exist. But suppose someone asks, “What if truth itself should someday perish?” Then the truth that “Truth has perished” would still exist eternally. Any denial of the eternity of truth turns out to be an affirmation of its eternity.
4. Truth is Spiritual The existence of truth presupposes the existence of minds. Without a mind, truth could not exist. The object of knowledge is a meaningful thought which resides in one or more minds. a. Truth is Not a function of Matter.
The existence of truth is incompatible with any materialistic view of man.
Materialists believe that all thinking and reasoning is merely the result of the
random motion of particles in the brain. But one set of relative physical
motions is not truer than another set. Therefore, if there is no mind, there can
be no truth; and if there is no truth, materialism cannot be true. b. Truth is Not a function of Time. If thoughts were the result of physical motions in the brain, memory and communication would be impossible. We are able to recall the past because we have minds and not because of the motion of particles in our brains. Thus, if one is able to think the same thought twice, truth must be independent of time. c. Truth is Not a function of Space. Truth is independent of Space as well. Not only does truth defy time and matter; it defies space as well. For communication to be possible between two or more people, the identical truth must be in two or more minds at the same time. If, in opposition, anyone wished to deny that an immaterial idea can exist in two different minds at the same time, his denial must be conceived to exist in his own mind only; and since it has not registered in any other mind, it does not occur to us to refute it!
5. Truth is Superior to the human mind By its very nature, truth cannot be subjective and individualistic. Truth is immutable, but the human mind is changeable. Even though beliefs vary from one person to another, truth itself cannot change. Moreover, the human mind does not stand in judgment of truth; but rather, truth judges our reason.
While we sometimes judge other human minds (as when we say, for example, that
someone’s mind is not as keen as it should be), we do not judge truth.
6. Truth is God We have seen that Truth exists, is unchangeable, eternal, spiritual, and is superior to the human mind. But only God possesses these attributes. If we substitute the word “God” for the word “Truth” in the list of attributes, we see that: God Exists God is Unchangeable God is Eternal God is Spiritual God is not a function of Space, Time or Matter. God is Superior to the human mind.
These attributes apply equally to Truth and God,
Truth and God are two different titles that refer to one unique being.
Unlike any other divine attribute such as love or justice,
Truth and God are convertible:
No created thing possesses the attributes of Truth or God. There can be no True propositions about created entities, including numbers, geometric patterns or so called “laws” of science because they are all dependent on Space, Time or Matter. The only true propositions are about the person who holds the office of God.
In other words, Knowing Truth is Knowing God,
> Truth has been defined. < Truth is God. |
Part 2 -
Grammatical Analysis of the Nature of Truth |
Truth is God? What could that possibly mean?
How are we to interpret such a potent proposition?
To interpret that sentence, we must understand the several different ways
that the word
The word IS has at least Nine different known meanings or uses.1- The IS of Existence e.g. “God is”, meaning “God Exists.” The word IS can be replaced by the word Exists, and the meaning of the sentence remains unchanged. 2- The IS of Predicatione.g. “Laura is Beautiful,” meaning that Beauty is an attribute, quality or characteristic of Laura. The function of predication is to identify individuals and attribute properties to them. It is one of the primary properties of language.3- The IS of Class-Inclusion e.g. “Lisa is Married,” means that Lisa belongs to a Class of people who are Married. 4- The IS of Finding Oneself e.g. “Mariam is in Armenia,” means that Mariam finds herselfin a certain location. 5- The IS of Consequence
e.g. “Knowledge
is
Power," means that having knowledge leads one to have more power. The
Consequence
of having more knowledge than before is an increase in power. In other
words, Knowledge
Leads to Power.
6- The
IS
of a Metaphor
e.g. “
7- The
IS
of a Simile
e.g. “
8- The
IS
of an Idiom
e.g. “It
9- The
IS
of Identity
e.g. “
We must discern between the two known kinds of Identity, Identity of Proper Names and Identity of Titles.
e.g.
“Samuel Clemens”
and
“Mark Twain”
are proper names which reference one unique person. But
“Truth”
and
“God”
are Titles, and do not reference one unique person. Titles
reference one unique office or post.
*I find it necessary to create this new word to differentiate Identication from
Predication.
We can now examine our definition of the word
1- “Truth is God” cannot mean Truth Exists. Replacing the word is with the word Exists does not make sense. This meaning of IS, is not what we mean. 2- “Truth is God” is Not a Predication about Truth. God is Not an attribute, quality or characteristic of Truth. This meaning of IS, is not what we mean. 3- “Truth is God” does NOT mean that Truth belongs to a Class of things (or beings) called God. This meaning of IS, is not what we mean. 4- “Truth is God” cannot mean that Truth Finds Itself at a certain location. 5- “Truth is God” does NOT mean that the consequence of knowing truth leads one to become God. 6- “Truth is God” cannot be understood as a Metaphor. 7- “Truth is God” cannot be understood as a Simile. 8- “Truth is God” cannot be understood as an Idiom.
9- The only other choice we are left
with is that “Truth is
God” means that Truth and God are
IDENTITIES.
Truth and God are two different titles that reference the same office.
We have shown that the words
True propositions are solely about the person who occupies the office of God. |
Part 3 - A Clarification |
Part 4 - Select References |
Augustine’s exposition of Truth as given in his De Libero Book II, edited and reinterpreted; after the work of Ronald Nash in Faith & Reason, p161, and the work of Gordon Clark in A Christian View of Men and Things, p . 318.
An
Extensive Bibliography is available for download. The Extensive Bibliography is available here.
The 1TP theory of Truth should not be confused with the Identity Theory of Truth. These resources have been the most helpful in formulating my definition of Truth. Aalen, S. – “Truth”, a Key Word in St. John’s Gospel; Studia Evangelica; 1961 Acton, Herbert B. – Man-made Truth; Mind; 1938 Anonymous – The Gods of the Nations When Christ Came; The Dublin Review; 1867 Aquinas, Thomas – Truth, Vol. 1: Qs I - IX; 1954, 1994 Augustine, Aurelius – An Analysis of the Treatise On Free Will; Basic Writings of St Augustine; Oates, Whitney; ed.; 1948 Augustine, Aurelius – On Free Choice of the Will; 1964 Augustine, Aurelius – On Free Choice of the Will; Thomas Williams; tr.; 1993 Augustine, Aurelius – On Free Will- Augustine: Earlier Writings; John Burleigh; tr.; 1953 Augustine, Aurelius – On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace & Free Choice, & Other Writings; Peter King; tr.; 2010 Augustine, Aurelius – On the Free Will: Book II only; Selections from Medieval Philosophers; McKeon, R.; ed.; 1929 Augustine, Aurelius – St. Augustine on Free Will; Carroll Sparrow; tr. 1947 Augustine, Aurelius – The Free Choice of the Will; Francis Tourscher; tr. 1937 Augustine, Aurelius – The Free Choice of the Will; The Fathers of the Church: Saint Augustine; Vol. 59; Russell, 1968 Augustine, Aurelius – The Problem of Free Choice Pontifex; Dom Mark; Tr. 1955 Benacerraf, Paul – Mathematical Truth; Philosophy of Mathematics: Selected Readings; Benacerraf, Paul; 2004 Benacerraf, Paul – What Mathematical Truth Could Not Be - I - Benacerraf and his Critics; Morton, A. & Stich, S. P.; 1996 Benacerraf, Paul – What Numbers Could Not Be; Philosophy of Mathematics: Selected Readings; Benacerraf, Paul; 2004 Benacerraf, Paul; Putnam, Hilary – Philosophy of Mathematics: Selected Readings- 1st ed.; 1964; 2nd ed.; 2004 Brennan, Joseph Gerard – A Handbook of Logic; 1961 Brouwer, L. E. J. – Intuitionism and Formalism; Philosophy of Mathematics: Selected Readings; Benacerraf, Paul; 2004 Bultmann, Rudolf – The Gospel of John; 1971, 1975 Clark, Gordon H. – Science and Truth; Trinity Review; 1981 Corazzon, Raul – Gottlob Frege on Being, Existence and Truth; formalontology.it; 2008 Corazzon, Raul – Truth, From the Greek Aletheia to the Latin Veritas; formalontology.it/aletheia.htm; 2008 Cox, Paul – What is Mathematics? Part 2; members.cox.net; [2008] Creath, Richard – Benacerraf and Mathematical Truth; Philosophical Studies; 1980 Crump, D. M. – Truth; Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels; 1992 Dales, H. G.; Oliveri, G.; eds. – Truth in Mathematics; 1998 Davidson, Donald – The Structure and Content of Truth; Jrnl of Philosophy; 1990 Davies, David Richard – What is Truth?; London Quarterly & Holborn Review; 1948 Denton, William – Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem; 2009 Devlin, Keith – Kurt Gödel: Separating Truth from Proof in Mathematics; Science; 2002 Dickinson, Richard – How do we know God? A Conversation Between Barth & Aquinas; Jrnl of Bible & Religion; 1958 Doriani, Daniel – The Deity of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels; Jrnl of the Evangelical Theological Society; 1994 Efros, Israel – Review: Rosenzweig’s Star of Redemption; Jewish Quarterly Review; 1936 Erdman, Jonathan – Truth in the Gospel of John; www.theosproject.blogspot.com; jul2006 Fallon, J. E. – Truth in the Bible; New Catholic Encyclopedia; [2004] Feigl, Herbert; Brodbeck, M.; eds. – Readings in the Philosophy of Science; 1953 Feigl, Herbert; Sellars, W.; eds. – Readings in Philosophical Analysis; 1949 Godet, Frederic – Commentary on the Gospel of John- Vol I- Chs 1-5; 1886; Vol II- Chs 6-21; 1886 Goetz, Billy E. – The Usefulness of the Impossible; Our Mathematical Heritage; Schaaf, William L.; ed.; 1963,66 Grese, William C. – Corpus Hermeticum XIII and Early Christian Literature; 1979 Hahn, Hans – Empiricism, Logic, and Mathematics; 1980 Hahn, Hans – Logic, Mathematics and Knowledge of Nature (Kaal, tr.) Unified Science- Vienna Circle Monograph; 1987 Hahn, Hans – Logic, Mathematics and Knowledge of Nature (Pap, tr.) 20th C. Philos.: The Analytic Tradition; Morris; 1966 Hayes, Zachary; ed. – Works of St. Bonaventure; 2005 Hempel, Carl G. – Geometry and Empirical Science; Our Mathematical Heritage; Schaaf, William L.; ed.; 1963,66 Hempel, Carl G. – On The Nature of Mathematical Truth: Readings in Philos. Analysis; Feigl, H. & Sellars, W.; eds.; 1949 Hermes Trismegistus – The Corpus Hermetica; www.blackmask.com; 2001 Hersh, Reuben – What is Mathematics, Really?; 1999 Hunt, Dave – The Need for a Thorough Purging; berean call; nov1998 Jaki, Stanley L. – A Late Awakening to Gödel in Physics; A Late Awakening and Other Essays; {2002} Joad, C. E. M. – Modern Science and Religion; Proc. of the Aristotelian Society; 1930-31 Joad, C. E. M. – Physical Objects and Scientific Objects; Mind; 1931 Kline, Morris – Mathematics, The Loss of Certainty; 1980, 1982 Lactantius – The Divine Institutes; Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VII Lakatos, Imre – Falsification & the Methodology of Scientific Res. Programmes; Criticism & the Growth of Knowledge; Lakatos, Imre; 2004 Lolli, Gabriele – Logical Completeness, Truth and Proofs; Truth in Mathematics; Dales H. G. & Oliveri, G.; eds.; 1998 McGuire, Anne – Conversion and Gnosis in the “Gospel of Truth”; Novum Testamentum; 1986 McKeon, Richard; ed. – Selections from Medieval Philosophers, v1; 1929; v2; 1930 Meltzer, B. – The Third Possibility; Mind; 1964 Morris, Leon – The New International Commentary on the NT- St. John; 1979 Nagel, Ernest; Newman, James – Gödel’s Proof; 2001 Nash, Ronald H. – Faith and Reason; 1988 Newman, B. M.; Nida, E. A. – A Translator’s Handbook on The Gospel of John; 1980 O’Connor, D. J.; Carr, Brian – Introduction to The Theory of Knowledge; 1982 Packer, James I. – Knowing God; 1973 Pap, Arthur – Mathematics, Abstract Entities, and Modern Semantics; Scientific Monthly; 1957 Putnam, Hilary – A Comparison of Something with Something Else; New Literary History; 1985 Robbins, John W. – Review: Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge; Lakatos & Musgrave; eds.; Jrnl of Christian Reconstruction; 1976 Russell, Bertrand – The Philosophy of Logical Atomism; Logic and Knowledge; Bertrand Russell; 1988 Schaaf, William L.; ed. – Our Mathematical Heritage; 1963,66 Thorson, Walter R. – Legitimacy and Scope of “Naturalism” in Science (I) Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith; 2002 Vaihinger, Hans – The Philosophy of “As If”; 1968 Weitz, Morris; ed. – Twentieth Century Philosophy: The Analytic Tradition; 1966 Westcott, Brooke Foss – The Gospel According to St. John- Vol I- Chs 1-7; 1908; Vol II- Chs 8-21; 1908 White, Leslie – The Locus of Mathematical Reality: An Anthropological Footnote The World of Math; Newman, J. R.; ed.; 1956 Wiebe, Richard – Gödel’s Theorem (Part II); Math Jrnl; 1975 Williams, Daniel D. – Brunner and Barth on Philosophy; Jrnl of Religion; 1947 Williams, Daniel D. – Truth in the Theological Perspective; Jrnl of Religion; 1948 Willimon, William H. – Jesus’ Peculiar Truth; christianitytoday.com; 4mar1996 Zwicky, F. – On the Principle of Flexibility of Scientific Truth; Philosophy of Science; 1943 |
Truth is Salvific Knowledge of God