Truth

Something is said to be true when it conforms to reality. According to this, truth is conformity with reality. But it is not a simple topic. Regarding truth, three elements are involved:

• There is a reference point and something compared with it.
• In the comparison, one of the terms is a thought.
• Truth exists when they coincide.

Depending on where the comparison is made, different types and definitions of truth arise.

The categories of truth can be grouped into two realms: one deals with truth in knowledge and its expression; the other refers to truth in conscience and action. a) Truth in knowledge and its expression (comparing reality with our intellect and words):

• Logical truth or truth of thought: A thought is true when it conforms to reality. This is the classical definition: truth is the conformity of the intellect with the thing (*adaequatio rei et intellectus*). Here, reality is the reference point.
• Sincerity or truthfulness in speech: Here thought is compared with its outward expression through words or gestures. Truthfulness exists when what is expressed coincides with what is genuinely thought.

b) Truth in conscience and in action (comparing the conduct required by beings with our moral judgment and actions):

• Authenticity or consistency of life: Truth exists in our conduct when we act in accordance with what we perceive as good. We are morally consistent.
• Truth in conscience: What we judge to be good will be truly good when it conforms to the genuine good established by the Creator.

A table is brown. Due to darkness, someone thinks it is green, and as a joke says it is blue. He has told a lie because his words do not match his thought. Nor is his thought true, because it departs from reality: the table is brown.

A terrorist may believe he should murder political enemies, and kills many. His life is consistent with his thought, but his moral judgment is not objectively true, because it violates the objective dignity of human beings established by the Creator (natural law).

Major misunderstandings arise when the reference point is placed in one's own subjective thought, often confusing different types of truth:

• In logical truth, the reference point is reality itself, not subjective thinking. Thought is the reference point only in the case of sincerity.
• In truth of conscience, the reference point is God's moral law and reality, not subjective moral opinions. Subjective judgment is the reference point only in the case of authenticity.

A well-known example: pigs do not fly, no matter how much one imagines or desires it. Here the reference point is reality: pigs are pigs, and they cannot fly. They are what they are, completely independent of what anyone thinks.

The conscience of a terrorist may declare that his killings are justified, but they are not, because here the reference point is God's law inscribed in human nature, not subjective opinion.

The minimal yet indispensable foundation for finding the truth in any matter is to establish the reference point correctly. The following diagram can help (the dotted lines ------ signify “is the reference point of truth for”):

The reality and nature of things ------ thoughts, judgments ------ words. |||| How things ought to be treated ------ moral thoughts ------ actions.

Reading the diagram in reverse:
a) In the realm of knowledge: There is truth in words when they coincide with what one truly thinks. In turn, one's thoughts are true if they coincide with the objective reality of things.
b) In the realm of action: There is truth and coherence in the actions of one's life when they coincide with one's moral convictions. In turn, these moral judgments are truly good if they conform to the proper way in which things ought to be treated. And this treatment will be right if it conforms to the nature and reality of things. (The word “things” is used in a general sense here, including persons).

The foundation of science is not human subjectivity, but objective reality. A genuine scientist does not attempt to force reality to fit his theories; rather, he seeks to understand reality and alters his theories so that they affirm what truly is. Scientific truth rests upon reality, not personal taste.

If God is removed, the objective foundation of morality crumbles. Truth in morality rests on what the Creator has established, not on subjective preferences or changing cultural fashions.

No; there are no inherently immoral categories of men. An atheist's morality is guided by his conscience, although such moral judgment can be more vulnerable to instability because it does not acknowledge what the Creator has established. Without an absolute foundation, one risks being swayed by subjective inclinations (see relativism).

Religion addresses man's relationship with God, encompassing two dimensions:

• In the realm of knowledge, religion seeks to understand the true relationship between man and God. The reference point must be sought in reality, not subjective speculation: Who is man? Who is God? Has God intervened in human history? What historical evidence exists?
• In the realm of action, religion seeks to please God; here moral truth must be sought in what the Creator has revealed and established for humanity.

In conclusion, true religion must conform to human and divine nature and to the historical manifestations of God. Its moral teachings must align with the natural law and divine revelation (see true religion).

It is not easy to discover God through human reasoning alone. Knowing the Catholic faith provides clear guidance. The simplest and surest path is humbly asking God for His assistance in prayer.