Searching for Truth

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Introduction

This article has now been updated and renamed as 'Six Key Questions'.  This page is only retained to prevent broken links.

Please go to Six Key Questions.

 

What follows is the previous content...

One way or another, we are constantly searching for the truth. Is this safe to eat? Can I trust this promise? Is this vaccine effective? Can I trust this advice from the Government? We face the same basic questions in every area of our lives: what is true, how can I be sure it is true, and what does it mean for me?

This search for truth involves techniques and disciplines which vary between the different areas: the search for truth in a research lab follows one set of rules, in a law court it follows another. But it is always a human activity, and the same basic principles apply whatever the specifics of the area under consideration.

We are story-telling animals; while we may sometimes search for ‘truth’ as an abstract thing, we always find it in a specific context, and we always understand it through some experience, told as a story. We know that one plus one equals two because we observe what happens when we take one apple and put it together with another apple; and we also observe that one pear plus one pear gives us two pears.

Truth about the world is truth as we find it – which is always in a specific context. So the same basic questions apply whenever we search for truth, whether we are seeking the truth about string theory, voting methods or free will.

Some Basic Questions

Whatever else is involved in the search for truth, we need to understand three things: proposition, perspective and priority.

Proposition. What, as precisely as it can be stated, is the proposition being put forward here, and why should we regard it as true?

  • What is the story? What are the details? Is it coherent? How does this story differ from the other stories people tell?
  • What is the evidence? What is the evidence for and against this story? Are there other stories the evidence could support? Is there other relevant evidence which should be considered?

Perspective. You can only look at a proposition from a specific perspective; whatever language is used, it will always rely on a certain set of assumptions.

  • What are the assumptions? What direction are we viewing this story from? Who is telling this story, and what are their motives? Who is the audience, and how does this affect the story?
  • What are the alternatives? What other perspectives or assumptions are possible? How do they change the story?

Priority. This proposition does not exist alone: it must be considered alongside other propositions, giving it a context and significance.

  • What is the context? What other stories do we need to understand, if we are to fully grasp the meaning of this one? Do they support, illuminate or undermine this story? How does changing the context change the story?
  • What is important?  How important is this story when we look at the bigger picture?  Are all aspects of the story equally important?  Who are they important to?  In what direction does cause and effect flow here?

 

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