The Test For Truth
By Michael Aidoo
12th August, 2021
The Test For Truth
It's imperative that we subject claims or worldviews to the truth test. In a world full of opinions which are ever changing, truth must be of an utmost priority. Truth is the only safe ground upon which one stands.
There are three main classic tests for truth:
1. Logical consistency [Rational thinking] - this seeks to answer a basic question, "Is the claim being made logically consistent or there are obvious contradictions?"
2. Empirical adequacy - this also seeks to answer a fundamental question, "Is there any evidence to support or back the claim being made?"
3. Experiential relevance - the underlying condition is, "Does the claim apply or work in real life?"
Then there is the other two tests which deals with systems outside themselves:
4. Undeniability - this is best explained with an example. How does one know he or she exists? You can't prove this in a lab, yet it's unequivocal that you exist. You wouldn't be reading this if you didn't exist.
5. Unaffirmability - this actually deals with statements that are intrinsically false. The fact that a claim is made does not necessarily follow that it's true. The claim or statement, "I don't need air to survive", is an example of an unaffirmable claim or statement.
That being said, if any religion or worldview claims to be true, we can find out whether or not it's true . The fact that something has been believed for generations doesn't necessarily make it true.
You hear people say religion is just a hoax. Intellectually, we can know the truth of this claim.
Therefore, before you dismiss a religion or any claim to be false, you might have gone through the truth test to solidify and validate your assertion, else it becomes just an opinion.
Mich-Shaker ©
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