What Is Truth?

“Truth” is an interesting concept. Every day we are presented with the “truth” of the world around us, whether through television, the Internet, or the people with whom we interact. But what is truth really? Who gets to define truth?

The dictionary will define “truth” to be something like:

“The true or actual state of a matter”
“Conformity with fact or reality”
“A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, or principle”
“An obvious or accepted fact”

So to me, these definitions imply that truth is something where there is only a single correct answer, something that is unambiguous. If that’s the case, what are some of the more common “truths” can we name?

• Humans are the primary cause of global warming? Maybe not…
• There is an obesity epidemic in the U.S.? Maybe not…
• Smoking is a huge health risk? Maybe not…
• High-fat diets cause heart disease? Maybe not…

I’m not actually expressing an opinion on any of these subjects (yet!). My point is that if you really think about it, there seem to be very few things that are universally accepted, beyond mundane stuff like the sky is blue and gravity keeps us from floating away. Why is this?

The first problem is our world is so complex that going from simple facts like, 33% of adults in the U.S. have a BMI over 30, to sweeping generalizations like “we have an obesity epidemic” is a huge leap. There’s so much room for individual interpretation that different people can (and do) derive different truths from the same basic facts.

The second problem is, very few people actually understand the intricacies of these complex issues. Most of us are left with second-hand, third-hand, tenth-hand accounts of the original truth. So instead, most of us get information that’s been distorted or misunderstood, and bears little resemblance to the original – just like in the children’s game telephone.

In the end, what we really have is a world where truth is subjective and personal. Or as Robert McKee described it in his book Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting:

“What happens is fact, not truth. Truth is what we think about what happens.”

This is the reality that I face while writing this blog. As I look for compelling evidence to back up my theories, I also tend to find compelling evidence disproving my opinions as well. Making sense of all the competing information that’s out there is hard, sometimes very hard, especially since I’m not an “expert” in the subjects I write about here.

So despite this blog purporting to be presenting the “truth”, I readily accept that it’s really more accurately presenting “my truth” – those things that I personally believe to be “true”. I don’t expect my truth to necessarily agree with your truth. Get over it, I have…

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