I usually use this sentence to explain: “There are three things that each person must discover, a thing called ‘light,’ a thing called ‘dark,’ and a thing called ‘Truth’…” The third truth, well, that’s the way it really is. The second is the way the other person sees it, the way that makes it seem worse. But, the way I said it, is that, the first truth is what one person sees it as, the truth that makes it sound good. I have always said there are three types of truth. What’s so good about seeking truth? What’s so bad about finding it? – An Ethics question!ģ Responses to Three Different Types of Truth “Believe those who are seeking the truth doubt those who find it.” (Andre Gide).How are the “theories” of truth similar or different from scientific theories? To give you a hint, are the “truth theories” experimentally falsifyable? Why are they called “theories”? Do you consider this an appropriate term? Could this be a language issue?.Does the Coherence Theory view truth more from an absolute or more from a relative viewpoint?.What is your view on this issue? Are you more an “absolutist” or more a “relativist”? Maybe you have realized that some theories assume that truth is absolute (such as the Correspondence theory), others see truth more from a relative or subjective viewpoint (Pragmatic Theory).And guess what! This belief too is very useful! It is true for person B. B thinks that having many friends is the most important thing. B thinks that money is of minor importance. The statement “Earning much money is important” is true for this person. The person’s actions will be guided by this belief. This belief is true for this person and it is indeed a very useful belief. Somebody (person A) may, for example, believe that earning much money is the most important thing in one’s life.

Whether or not it reflects reality is of minor importance.

The Pragmatic Theory of Truth: This theory states that something is true if it is useful.

But did the pencil really fall to the ground or can something else explain these observations? This is of course a different question. According to the coherence theory, the proposition “the pencil hit the ground” is true.

Three observations fit together: me hearing it, a second person hearing it and the missing pencil. A second person in the room also hears it, and the pencil that I just saw on my table a moment ago is now gone. For example, I hear a pencil falling to the ground. A proposition is true if it “fits into the system”. Whether the statement reflects reality or not is not of primary importance. Coherence Theory of Truth: This theory states that a statement (a proposition) is true if it is consistent with other things that are considered true (and do not contradict it).So how is reality really like? And of course we have to assume that something like reality really does exist and is not simply a product of our mind. The interesting question is now: “What is reality”? We know that senses can deceive us. If somebody states “It is raining” (the proposition) then it is true only if it is really raining outside (reality). Correspondence Theory of Truth: This theory states that a statement (a “proposition”) is true if it corresponds to (or reflects) reality.It is possible to distinguish several different definitions or approaches of truth. What is truth? This is an interesting but also difficult question to answer.

Here I will explain the differences between the Correspondence Theory of truth, the Coherence Theory and the Pragmatic Theory.

Coherence theory of truth in philosophy