Truth
Teaching Assistant: Patrick Mooney
Writing 2
Winter 2015
These are just some quick notes I took on phrases and major terms that occurred in student group-generated consensus position statements on the question What is truth?
, which we discussed in class on 21 January
Alas, I can only type at about 80 w.p.m., so this is all I was able to get down while students were reading their statements aloud.
Truth, noun; true, adj.
what is believed to be real
a concept that is universally accepted as factual and correct.
cannot be disproven
something that is absolute
when a concept adheres to the reality at hand
perception of truth can differfrom the truth itself
can be distorted
can be both subjective and objective depending on context
based on confirmed facts
something generally accepted by society
can be relative to expectations and beliefs
can be hurtful
skewed by perception of reality
pursuing the truth is conforming to reality
non-malleable,at least in some cases.
in hard science and math … backed by facts … in social situations … agreed upon collectively
may be distorted to satisfy different societal expectations