Determining Truth Flashcards
Philosophers agree that there is no absolute truth however various views can help us tackle the concepts of knowing and truth and arrived at the reasonable assessment of whether a statement idea or event is believable
The first concept of truth is rooted in an ancient greek philosophers concept of knowledge as justified true belief something is true because you believe it to be true and that there is justification for such a belief a belief may be justified by using one’s perception and senses by feeling to authority or reasoning later philosophers develop numerous theories on the nature of knowledge and truth is providing a basis for establishing if a statement or an idea is true
State that something is true if it corresponds to reality or the actual state of affairs this theory assumes as a direct relationship between an idea and reality and that a statement can be taken as a fact example a mammal is a warm blooded animal we expect objects and concepts to be defined as they are in the real life
Correspondence theory
Something is true if it makes sense when placed in a particular situation or context example muslims believe that certain animals like pigs or unclean the belief that eating pork will render them and clean mix tense in a context of the islamic faith non-muslims however do not sure this believe does do not subscribe to this practice of not eating pork
Coherence theory
A philosophy cal concept that contends that there are no absolute truths and idea or principle is only valid within a particular context does alternative truth can exist in various contexts and situations
Relativism
Holds that knowledge is shaped by social forces and influenced by culture and history what is true is shaped by the his society and culture as this theory also believes that knowledge is gained as part of social experiment and requires interaction and collaboration example marriage in some societies marriage is a highly important social institution it is not merely a union of individuals but emerging of family as stated in the 1987 constitution family is the foundation of the nation in western countries marriage is viewed as a contract between two counseling adults in most cases such unions can be notified legally
Constructivist theory
This this knowledge is based on agreement and that something is true if almost everyone agrees that it is through certain beliefs traditions and practices are often the product of courses such as they may be imposed by influential groups or institutions such as the government or religious organisation example the decision of the international astronomical union in 2006 to change the planet pluto specification into a dwarf planet hey you is the recognized authority concerning the designation of planets and other heavenly bodies and is composed of professional astronomers and astronomy educators
Consensus theory
This theory holds the view that something is true if you can put it into practice or is useful in real life a related theory verification is some considers that idea must be verified using the senses or experience the scientific method where experiments are designed to test hypotheses are confirm conclusions is an example of a pragmatic approach in determining truth example of the study of yellow fever during the late 19th century
Pragmatic theory
