Forms of truth
Quora Question: If every claim in science is open for change, does that mean that none of them are true?
Yes. Amazingly.
Science is the search for absolute truth. No one can know it absolutely, though (i.e., proven). Even the faithful of religions do not know the absolute truth. The best the faithful can say is that their truths are given.
Forms of truth are:
- Absolute truth – The creator’s truth. No one can claim to know it, even though a person or group’s truth may be absolute truth. This is how we keep an open mind. Absolutely true truths must meet the sufficient condition.
- Objective Truth – A truth shared by ALL the stakeholders of a question. If any stakeholder proffers a conflicting truth, then what everyone else knows is a shared subjective truth, even though a near-unanimous majority shares it. It is a hypothesis. Conflicting opinions are respected so that reasoning (pursuit of truth) is always preserved. The good faith dissenter must always be encouraged/protected. So freedom of conscience is key to reason.
- Immutable Truth (Faith) – Some reasonable (meeting the necessary condition) subjective truths, because they are untestable (or intentionally won’t be tested), become pseudo-objective/absolute truths. They are immutable. They are accepted as true as a matter of faith.
A given truth is required to be a member of that faith. These truths are ostensibly absolute truths. That is, this truth will not be subject to revision in the future for the faithful of that faith. EVER. However, if the faithful wish to remain rational, they must respect that they cannot know the creator’s absolute truth. Faith is different from absolute truth. Still, the faithful of a particular faith may be absolutely right. They can never claim to be absolutely right. - Laws are subjectively true beliefs respected, though NOT ACCEPTED, as objectively true. Sometimes it is not practical to get to objective truth (agreement by all affected). For objective truth, only one belief (hypothesis) can remain. Testing ordinarily disproves false hypotheses. However, it is often impossible to all test beliefs without implementing a particular belief or “truth.” Thus for these pseudo-objectively true beliefs, a rigorous justice system must be in place (protected by a document preserving freedom of thought and speech) in order to keep laws rational and just. The individuals respecting (not accepting) these pseudo-objective-truths must be empowered to challenge them (the process of reason).
- Subjective truth – Held by an individual or not the entire group. It’s a hypothesis. Ideally, the individual (or subset group) has observations to support it (i.e. good faith). When an individual has a hypothesis that explains the observed, they can be said to have a truth or hypothesis that meets the necessary condition. A subjective truth must meet the necessary condition.
Knowledge
Knowledge, from my perspective, is not objective truth. It is what one gains as one proceeds through the process of establishing objective truth in the pursuit of absolute truth. After all, objective truth is only objective truth until a new conflicting hypothesis comes along, then objective truth returns to subjective truth status. However, when one invalidates a hypothesis, you know that that result is absolutely true. That’s knowledge.
An untested subjective truth is fragile. At the same time, you would be right to feel confident in a rigorously tested hypothesis resulting in objective truth. But you are also right to feel great satisfaction in that you have acquired much knowledge (hypotheses you know that are absolutely not true) in the same process.
Objective truths, from time to time, are discovered in science. The objective truth may even be absolute truth. But the scientist or the scientific community can never claim it. Otherwise, their access to reason will be undone.
Reason is the scientific process whereby participants produce tests to disprove hypotheses. When a person or group seeks to prove their hypothesis only, they think irrationally.
Yes, from time to time, science’s objective truths fall. It is good news. The next hypothesis will be better.
