AbsoluteTruth - Worldview on the Street

Absolute Truth - A Video from our friends at http://www.HighwayVideo.com

Absolute truth is defined as inflexible reality: fixed, invariable, unalterable facts. For example, it is a fixed, invariable, unalterable fact that there are absolutely no square circles and there are absolutely no round squares.

While absolute truth is a logical necessity, there are some religious orientations (atheistic humanists, for example) who argue against the existence of absolute truth. Humanism's exclusion of God necessitates moral relativism. Humanist John Dewey (1859-1952), co-author and signer of the Humanist Manifesto 1 (1933), declared, "There is no God and there is no soul. Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, then immutable truth is also dead and buried. There is no room for fixed, natural law or moral absolutes." Humanists believe one should do, as one feels is right.

You can't logically argue against the existence of absolute truth. To argue against something is to establish that a truth exists. You cannot argue against absolute truth unless an absolute truth is the basis of your argument. Consider a few of the classic arguments and declarations made by those who seek to argue against the existence of absolute truth

"There are no absolutes." First of all, the relativist is declaring there are absolutely no absolutes. That is an absolute statement. The statement is logically contradictory. If the statement is true, there is, in fact, an absolute - there are absolutely no absolutes.

"Truth is relative." Again, this is an absolute statement implying truth is absolutely relative. Besides positing an absolute, suppose the statement was true and "truth is relative." Everything including that statement would be relative. If a statement is relative, it is not always true. If "truth is relative" is not always true, sometimes truth is not relative. This means there are absolutes, which means the above statement is false. When you follow the logic, relativist arguments will always contradict themselves.

"Who knows what the truth is, right?" In the same sentence the speaker declares that no one knows what the truth is, then he turns around and asks those who are listening to affirm the truth of his statement.

"No one knows what the truth is." The speaker obviously believes his statement is true.

There are philosophers who actually spend countless hours toiling over thick volumes written on the "meaninglessness" of everything. We can assume they think the text is meaningful! Then there are those philosophy teachers who teach their students, "No one's opinion is superior to anyone else's. There is no hierarchy of truth or values. Anyone's viewpoint is just as valid as anyone else's viewpoint. We all have our own truth." Then they turn around and grade the papers!

For more, please visit http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/absolute-truth-video.htm

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• Absolute Truth
• Highway Video
• Relativism
• Truth
• Dewey
• Humanist Manifesto
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[gklr]

@benaberry,

Good reply, perhaps the only one here. :)

Congrats.

[gklr]

@1971SuperLead,

No belief is true. All beliefs must be possibly true and possibly false and shown as neither.

[gklr]

Logic proves why there are no absolute truths. Absolute truth is what is true "for all possible circumstances" and there is no possibility of that.

Sorry.

[btbbuilder]

Is the Universe Dying of Heat Loss? Thats pretty absolute isnt it?

[benaberry]

Absolute truth - is false, because truth is a concept of the mind, it is based on what we know, what best reflects reality. As we learn more our reality changes. We know of gravity, but we don't understand it, we may in the future understand more, but as our world around us changes so will the application of gravity as well, forever evolving. Truth is a concept, not some perfect answer or divine knowledge - that a huge assumption.

[Thatboyandhisdad]

@greenearthnazi20204u The caps lock button may help you.

[spud2ooo]

this guy is brilliant and what about morals and values

[cyjon007]

I think you Philosophy majors (and definitely everyone interviewed in the vid) are thinking way too high-level. You want to see absolute truth? Check out what they're doing over in the electronics lab. The basis for absolute truth is existence, or lack thereof. The rest is simply derivative. "Does God exist?" Perhaps a more interesting question is, "Is the question of God's existence truly relevant?"

[theden]

relativism is ridicoulous

[1971SuperLead]

@greenearthnazi20204u Of course I care about TRUTH, but can you BELIEVE truth, or can Truth only be KNOWN? Beliefs are what humans figure out to be "truth". REAL Truth is what you don't learn, but is given to you by HIM.

Magic powers illusions. Your illusions will not fool me. They will only fool you. Stop with the magic and go with MIRACLES.