The concept of truth can be interpreted in different ways according to different philosophical theories, and each of the correspondence, compatibilism, and pragmatism theories provides criteria for distinguishing between what is true and false. These theories have a profound impact on our daily lives, our bodies of knowledge, and our practical outcomes.
We often use the words “truth” or “true” in our daily lives and academic work. For example, we say, “That theory is true” or “That claim is true”. The main theories on this issue are correspondence, congruence, and pragmatism.
The search for truth is deeply connected to the essential human endeavor to understand the world. It plays an important role in philosophy, science, and everyday thinking, and we always feel the desire to find truth. The question of what is truth is not just a matter of knowledge; it is intimately connected to how we live our lives. The concept of truth can be interpreted differently in different times and cultures, suggesting the need for us to understand different perspectives on truth.
The counterfactual view is that a judgment is true when it is consistent with the facts. The statement, “If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself,” illustrates this view of correspondence. A statement is true if it matches the facts when verified using the senses, and false if it does not. The correspondence theory is the view we often take in everyday life when making distinctions between true and false, and it assumes that we can know whether our judgments match the facts. We assume that we perceive objects exactly as they are, unless we are impaired. For example, when we say that a desk is square, we assume that the representation “square” perceived by our senses is a true reflection of the objective properties of the desk, so that if the judgment “the desk is square” is consistent with our perception, the judgment is true, and if not, it is false. The correspondence theory emphasizes the verification of facts through observation or experience when determining the truth of a new claim.
However, the counterfactual has its limitations. For example, our senses can sometimes be distorted, so not all perceptions always correspond to the truth. Optical illusions and biased cognitive processes show that what we observe may not be what it really is. Therefore, the correspondence theory cannot account for all truth, and other theories are proposed to fill in the gaps.
The congruence theory views a judgment as true when it fits into an existing body of knowledge. There is already a body of knowledge that we consider to be true, and if a judgment or claim fits into it, it is true, otherwise it is false. For example, if someone says, “That claim about the motion of an object is false because it violates Newton’s laws of mechanics,” that person has accepted Newton’s laws of mechanics as truth and used them as a standard to determine truth. This theory of congruence emphasizes congruence with existing theoretical systems when determining the truth of a new claim.
Consensus plays a particularly important role in scientific theories and philosophical discussions. Whenever a new theory is proposed in the history of science, how well it fits with existing theories is an important criterion for evaluating it. For example, when Einstein’s theory of relativity was first proposed, it conflicted with existing Newtonian mechanics, but was eventually accepted because it could explain a wider range of phenomena. In this way, congruence theories are useful for evaluating how new knowledge integrates with existing knowledge.
A pragmatic theory views a judgment as true when it produces useful results. If a judgment is put into action and the results are satisfactory or useful, the judgment is true; if not, the judgment is false. For example, a person judges that “self-directed learning methods foster creativity” and tries to apply such learning methods in practice. If that method of learning actually produces satisfactory results, such as fostering creativity, then the judgment is true; otherwise, it is false. This pragmatism emphasizes the usefulness of results in determining the truth of new claims.
Pragmatism is particularly powerful in practical contexts. When an individual or society accepts a truth, it is important to consider whether it has practical consequences that are beneficial. This is often seen in ethical judgments, for example, the utilitarian approach of “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” can be understood in a similar way to utilitarianism. From a utilitarian perspective, truth is not just a theoretical or abstract concept, but a practical standard that affects real life.
