The distinction between truth and reality is a central issue in philosophy, yet the problem has taken on a new urgency in recent years with the development of modern science because the issue of truth and reality is complex and has a wide-ranging impact on our lives. The question is how these two concepts relate to each other. Does reality conform to truth, or is truth a product of our perceptions of reality?
Highlights:
- Truth is often subjective and relative to what one believes and experiences, while the reality is often objective and absolute.
- Fact-based knowledge is an advancement in science and helps us form rational thoughts and behaviors.
- Fiction helps us imagine different possibilities and alternatives for ourselves, others, and events happening in the world outside of our own perceptions and experiences.
- Facts can help create a verifiable worldview, but only when trusted by an individual can they serve their intended purpose.
- The ability to trust commonly established facts has been threatened by the creation of fringe ideologies and conspiracy theories.
When you read a book, you are not just consuming words on a page but also immersing yourself in another world where the characters behave in ways that make sense based on their personalities and motivations. But is this world as real as it seems? In some cases, the lines between the two worlds are clearly drawn: in others, they are blurred. The distinction between truth and reality is a central issue in philosophy (Rhees & Tessin, 1994). Thinkers have debated it since antiquity, and the problem has taken on a new urgency in recent years with the development of modern science (e.g., Guthke, 2019). The question is how these two concepts relate to each other. Does reality conform to truth, or is truth a product of our perceptions of reality?
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