What is Truth?

What is Truth?

 

In the Philosophy Professor's chat column in the Catholic Peace Weekly we hear an answer to Pilates question to Jesus.

 "What is truth?" When Pontius Pilate posed this question to Jesus, when His life hung in the balance, it also serves as a fundamental question addressed to all humans seeking true understanding. 'Knowledge' and 'will (aspiration)' are two essential elements of human mental activity, and humans are by nature beings who pursue knowledge. 

This knowledge is always related to 'the true,' that is, truth. However, as implied in the question, Pilate asked Jesus, understanding truth is not an easy matter.

The problem of truth has long been a central concern in epistemology, the philosophy of knowledge. As early as Plato, who argued that true knowledge does not lie in things that change and perish, but instead in the unchanging and eternal, namely the realm of the Ideals of the 'Good.' Accordingly, truth implies something permanent, eternal, and absolute.

However, our knowledge cannot reach that level and is always limited. Although all knowledge ought to inherently contain truth, due to the constraints of cognition, truth is philosophically divided into absolute truth, as knowledge that is always true, and relative truth, as limited knowledge. All human knowledge, even if based on scientific facts, can in the strict sense be considered relative truth rather than absolute truth.

Truth is fundamentally determined by the standards of the object of cognition (its essence, nature, and properties) and the form of linguistic expression. Truth signifies the correspondence between intellect and thing, which is revealed as true or false through judgment. In other words, truth is both a metaphysical-ontological matter and a linguistic-logical matter. Truth relates metaphysically to what is truly real, but it remains entirely hidden unless expressed in language.

In this regard, philosophers' perspectives on truth differ, and various corresponding theories of truth exist. Representative theories include the 'Correspondence Theory' of truth, grounded in the agreement between things and the intellect; the 'Coherence Theory' of truth, grounded in the coherence of statements; the 'Pragmatic Theory' of truth, grounded in the practical utility of statements; and approaches grounded in communication and social consensus.

There is the 'Consensus Theory,' which holds that truth is based on agreement. Today, a notable modern theory is 'Hermeneutic Truth.' At the center of this theory is Heidegger (1889–1976). He emphasized, in opposition to the traditional concept of truth, that the essence of truth lies in the function of logos, which is 'to reveal.' What does this mean? 'Logos,' or 'word,' inherently participates in statements of being and has the essential function of bringing being out from 'concealment' to make it appear as 'unconcealed.' Such 'unconcealment' of being is the meaning of the ancient Greek word for truth, 'aletheia (ἀλήθεια).' Thus, truth is an event of being that reveals itself by emerging from forgetfulness and concealment. Humans are the only beings positioned before the question of the truth of existence as beings within the world. The problem is that the world has already been understood by those who came before. 
 
According to Heidegger, 'pre-understanding'—which takes the form of 'history-culture' and 'philosophy-ideology'—foundations our current understanding but can also obstruct the recognition of new truths. When we are trapped in fixed ideas, we move away from truth, and this is precisely why we are not truly free. 

The essence of language is not the indication but 'the revelation of meaning'. The voice of conscience: a decisive moment leading to an existential decision. In extreme situations, patience and courage to face them are needed, not avoidance.

Christmas Hope!

 

A Sister of  St. Paul of Chartres has a meditation in View from the Ark of the Catholic Times on Hope.
 

On the familiar road of her hometown, on the way home, she was caught between a truck hauling a large load and a car chasing her from behind, and she was momentarily unsure what to do. It was a brief moment, but it reflected our time, when we don't know where to put our minds in the hyper-digital era.

In the midst of voices of concern that the country is on the verge of extinction due to the declining birth rate, and the movement to become a leading country in artificial intelligence (AI) by promoting economic growth, in-depth discussions on renewable energy issues, human alienation in the labor market, and ethical issues are all discussed. Some people discuss how history progresses and why it regresses.

If we go one step further in diagnosing the uncertain future that surrounds us and ask the essential question of life: what happens to the most basic food and drink that life requires, human labor remains the same, with little change. We still cook rice and trim green onions and garlic to eat. Even with digital culture in our hands, people live their daily lives with all their hearts, praying and facing pain. When fundamental rights are denied, they fight to regain them, resist with all their hearts, and stand together to pave the way to a better future.

In this era of easy change, before we can adapt to the beautiful values we want to inherit, other things rush in, and we pass super fast and don't allow ourselves to stay and look at who we are and ask what we are about, who I am, and how the world works.  

However, the religious and monks who remain silent in the presence of God and prepare for their ordination and lifelong vows are no different from the hermits who once stayed in the desert to become monks. Even amid urgent global issues that could disappear at any moment, new hope always permeates. In short, God's birth, how can we not hope in the face of this tremendous fact?

There is hope. With hope, we can once again create a unique dance that belongs to humanity. The miracle that faith brings—yes, it is. We have the space to pray and preserve together the precious values that we must strive to protect.

In our Catholic Tradition, we have many miracle stories with their history of hope. Isn't the miracle born from their prayers a long-standing sign of new hope for us? By walking this path of faith through constant daily prayer, is it not through continuing to walk in hope that our future lies?

We dedicate our existence at the close of this year, under the gracious light of this holy Christmas, to the Lord, with a passage from a poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890), proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV in November this year. 

"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th’encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me."

A Blessed and Happy Christmas.