What is the truth?

[Ana.J]

First I need two reliable yet different sources that don't refer to each other, then I need to find an article that disputes the information. If I can't qualify all three then it is just nice to know information.

I did that before and it frustrated me so much because when you have the article that proves he theory and another article that disputes it, you have nothing in the end...cannot make use of such contradictial info...

 

[RedDragon94]

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

Reason and experience.

 

[ENTP Logician]

In 21 century, the age of information, you can find the proof to any theory on the Internet. You can find any type of information there. The question is how do you navigate through the amount of bull*** and find the truth?

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

People kind find what they call "proof" .

In truth you find out what is true by the same method you do IRL.

I use skepticism and so far I think it has been working.

 

[viole]

In 21 century, the age of information, you can find the proof to any theory on the Internet. You can find any type of information there. The question is how do you navigate through the amount of bull*** and find the truth?

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

I am afraid that the question "what is truth?" has only self referential answers.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Ana.J]

I am afraid that the question "what is truth?" has only self referential answers.

Ciao

- viole

Do you mean they are subjective?

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

In 21 century, the age of information, you can find the proof to any theory on the Internet. You can find any type of information there. The question is how do you navigate through the amount of bull*** and find the truth?

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

Well there is not one method for all ideas.
But the method I find most useful is to test a bunch of claims for internal logical consistency.
Assume everything the idea claims to be true, and then see if it all adds up.

Let me give an example which has been recently most astounding.
I have been looking at General Relativity and I noticed a glaring contradiction.

A black hole is said to have time stop at its surface because its gravity is so strong.
(This is called the 'event horizon'.)

But the theory also claims that gravity travels at the velocity of light.
(This is called gravitational waves)

So how could the gravity escape the event horizon?
Anything with velocity must have time ticking over, in order to move at all.

So the theory disproves itself on the basis of its own inner logic.

 

[viole]

Do you mean they are subjective?

Nope. i mean that any answer to the question "what is truth?" must be true in order to be a real answer. Ergo, it must also describe itself, so to speak.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

Nope. i mean that any answer to the question "what is truth?" must be true in order to be a real answer. Ergo, it must also describe itself, so to speak.

Ciao

- viole

Like this:

Either there is
(1) truth,
or there is
(2) no truth.

If we assume that (2) is true, then this itself is a claim to truth.
If (2) is false then (1) is true.

Therefore, there is truth.

 

[viole]

Like this:

Either there is
(1) truth,
or there is
(2) no truth.

If we assume that (2) is true, then this itself is a claim to truth.
If (2) is false then (1) is true.

Therefore, there is truth.

Dr. L.E.J. Brower would not agree with you.

Ciao

- viole

 

[bobhikes]

I did that before and it frustrated me so much because when you have the article that proves he theory and another article that disputes it, you have nothing in the end...cannot make use of such contradictial info...

I have 2 articles that support the idea and 1 that disproves the idea. The disproof is proof that the idea has merit. If it was not a valid idea no one would bother to disprove it, unless it was widely accepted as false fact. I use my judgement on how good the disproof is but I also know nothing is 100%.

Knowing the above I know I have something real that was tested positive by 2 valid organizations, that is about the best you will ever do nothing is fool proof. Remain open and look for challenging ideas and you'll be better than 90% of the population.

 

[Quintessence]

Thank you, that was useful. I would appreciate if you post your findings here And we all will

I don't know if I'll remember or have the time with how busy I have been lately, so I'll make a few quick points about information literacy off the top of my head.

• All sources of information have their place. The trick is learning how to use them appropriately for what your question is and what your intention is. Just as an example, if you are writing an article aimed at providing personal inspiration, holding yourself to academic standards for sources is just not necessary because you do not need to be impartial or objective in writing a piece like that. A couple more points relate to this:
  • Bear in mind the intended audience for what you are reading. Good writers tailor the style of their writing to their audience. You may not be their intended audience, and it is important to keep that context in mind.
  • Bear in mind the purpose of what you are reading. In addition to having an audience, a writer typically has a purpose or objective in mind. They may be writing to entertain, to analyze, to persuade, etc. Consider how well the author's purpose or angle on the topic matches up with your own.
• Primary sources wherever possible. This is especially important when adhering to academic or scholarly standards. Use primary literature whenever reasonable or possible as opposed to second-hand or third-hand accounts of that content. As an example, many news outlets report on scientific research. It is better to read and cite the original research paper rather than a journalist reporting about the paper.
• Check citations and credentials. It's a good rule of thumb to check the author's references, as well as their credentials for writing about the topic. If you want to learn about climate science, ask a climate scientist, and expect their references list to have a ton of primary academic literature in it. Things like that.

So... the internet is full of clickbait rubbish journalism. Practice following these stories back to a more reputable source or the original story. Know what good journalism looks like and what bad journalism looks like. Good journalism is written with an impartial or non-judgemental tone, will give you the facts, and often provides some background context so the reader understands better. The moment you see judgements happening (e.g., "ought" and "should" statements or other emotional/passionate words from the narrator), it is more of an opinion piece than proper reporting.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

In 21 century, the age of information, you can find the proof to any theory on the Internet. You can find any type of information there. The question is how do you navigate through the amount of bull*** and find the truth?

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

What do You mean by truth?

The truth I follow in one word is life (or living). The value and living and help others to live as well. The details encomposs my faith and how I see reality/truth.

How does one define truth? Usually that means truth for all people.

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

Dr. L.E.J. Brower would not agree with you.

Ciao

- viole

Does Dr. L.E.J. Brower think that his/her disagreement is true?
If so,
then the Dr does agree even when he/she tries not to agree.

 

[DawudTalut]

"People interpret information differently." the article says.....The universal wisdom

"People interpret information differently. Since news often travels through several sources before it lands in front of you, it's easy for the truth to get lost in the shuffle. This is why following a news story to its original source is important."

Advice in blue is evergreen.

 

[Ana.J]

What do You mean by truth?

The truth I follow in one word is life (or living). The value and living and help others to live as well. The details encomposs my faith and how I see reality/truth.

How does one define truth? Usually that means truth for all people.

I think I meant the truth that contradicts the notion of lies. Not the Universal Truth....

 

[Ana.J]

"People interpret information differently. Since news often travels through several sources before it lands in front of you, it's easy for the truth to get lost in the shuffle. This is why following a news story to its original source is important."

Advice in blue is evergreen.

Sometimes it is hard to track the story to a source. Take religions, for example.

 

[Ana.J]

Well there is not one method for all ideas.
But the method I find most useful is to test a bunch of claims for internal logical consistency.
Assume everything the idea claims to be true, and then see if it all adds up.

Let me give an example which has been recently most astounding.
I have been looking at General Relativity and I noticed a glaring contradiction.

A black hole is said to have time stop at its surface because its gravity is so strong.
(This is called the 'event horizon'.)

But the theory also claims that gravity travels at the velocity of light.
(This is called gravitational waves)

So how could the gravity escape the event horizon?
Anything with velocity must have time ticking over, in order to move at all.

So the theory disproves itself on the basis of its own inner logic.

And what if the velocity of light is not the fastest measure? What if something moves faster then light?

 

[Sunstone]

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit might be a good place to start.

 

[LuisDantas]

In 21 century, the age of information, you can find the proof to any theory on the Internet. You can find any type of information there. The question is how do you navigate through the amount of bull*** and find the truth?

How do you know what to believe in this dump?

I usually search for signs of contradiction and bias. It is surprisingly easy to find them.

Ideally, separate sources and some observation of the consequences expected and observed as well.

It helps to have a modicum of scientific education and of awareness of statistics and social psychology.

 

[LuisDantas]

I did that before and it frustrated me so much because when you have the article that proves he theory and another article that disputes it, you have nothing in the end...cannot make use of such contradictial info...

An very useful life skill is that of deciding to which degree certainty is desirable and how much damage am I willing to allow if it can't be had or somehow fails anyway.

There is no (moral) shortcut there. In fact, it is one of the most necessary efforts in human life.