Lili wants to wish the world away...
Anyway, so here's my draft notes for a concept essay I have to do in a philosophy exam on friday. The concept is truth, and I argue that it doesn't exist. Feel free to tear my argument apart!
Truth
Initial Understanding
• Truth is what we know to be fact, something that has been proven to us. For example, everyone knows that food is good and poison is bad.
• There are other variants of truth: truth of feelings, emotions and thoughts.
• Truth can be separated from beliefs, as something we believe to be true may not be. For example, a man in the Amazon jungle may believe that no other human exists but him. We, however, know this to be false.
• Beliefs also hold uncertainty, like belief in a deity. Some cannot be proven wrong or right.
• However, to some people who believe strongly, belief can masquerade as truth.
• Key characteristics:
- Absoluteness. There cannot be two contradictory truths about one thing. For example, a bottle cannot be broken and not broken.
My Opinion
• Everything is opinion. There are no objective facts, only subjective.
• Example of two people who believe something to be true completely, and yet their truths are contradictory.
• Who are we to say which is right? We are also subjective.
• There can never be an objective truth because there IS no truly objective being to decide what it is.
• Example of science in history - every generation thought they were completely right, even had proof, until someone came along and disproved them.
• Narrow view of reality - Descartes and how we can never know our reality completely.
• Memory - people sure they are right but their subconscious bias has changed their memory and perceptions without them knowing.
The Flaws
• There has to be at least one objective truth - that truth doesn’t exist.
• This is contradictory.
• Truth of existence - we know something exists, even if it’s just our thoughts (also external something affecting our thoughts).
• Value of truth and sociological implications of there being no truth.
.
Also, those Greek poems are up! I remember quite a few flisters being interested, but so far they've attracted barely any comments. If you guys missed them they're a few posts back.
Also also WHY IS EVERYONE SO LOUD ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT I HAVE THE MOST RIDICULOUSLY BUSY DAY TOMORROW WHY WON'T THEY SHUT UP?!
argh.
~Lili
Truth
Initial Understanding
• Truth is what we know to be fact, something that has been proven to us. For example, everyone knows that food is good and poison is bad.
• There are other variants of truth: truth of feelings, emotions and thoughts.
• Truth can be separated from beliefs, as something we believe to be true may not be. For example, a man in the Amazon jungle may believe that no other human exists but him. We, however, know this to be false.
• Beliefs also hold uncertainty, like belief in a deity. Some cannot be proven wrong or right.
• However, to some people who believe strongly, belief can masquerade as truth.
• Key characteristics:
- Absoluteness. There cannot be two contradictory truths about one thing. For example, a bottle cannot be broken and not broken.
My Opinion
• Everything is opinion. There are no objective facts, only subjective.
• Example of two people who believe something to be true completely, and yet their truths are contradictory.
• Who are we to say which is right? We are also subjective.
• There can never be an objective truth because there IS no truly objective being to decide what it is.
• Example of science in history - every generation thought they were completely right, even had proof, until someone came along and disproved them.
• Narrow view of reality - Descartes and how we can never know our reality completely.
• Memory - people sure they are right but their subconscious bias has changed their memory and perceptions without them knowing.
The Flaws
• There has to be at least one objective truth - that truth doesn’t exist.
• This is contradictory.
• Truth of existence - we know something exists, even if it’s just our thoughts (also external something affecting our thoughts).
• Value of truth and sociological implications of there being no truth.
.
Also, those Greek poems are up! I remember quite a few flisters being interested, but so far they've attracted barely any comments. If you guys missed them they're a few posts back.
Also also WHY IS EVERYONE SO LOUD ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT I HAVE THE MOST RIDICULOUSLY BUSY DAY TOMORROW WHY WON'T THEY SHUT UP?!
argh.
~Lili