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OBJECTIONS TO OBJECTIVE TRUTH:

Now, let us apply the laws of logic to the objections to objective truth

· There is no truth:

If someone says, “There is no truth”, we must ask: Is that true?

If the claim “there is no truth” is true, then there is at least one truth. And if there is at least one truth, then the claim “there is no truth” is false.

· All truth is relative:

When a person says all truth is relative it is the same as saying everyone has their own truth. Dr Frank Turek has a nice example to show the fallacy of this objection:

CLIP: Frank Turek Bank teller

We see this a lot in our culture. Proponents of feminism and particularly those supporting the LGBTQ movement are often encouraging one another to “live their truth”. The problem is, if all truth is relative then we must ask, is that true for everyone? If it is true for everyone then the statement that “all truth is relative” is false because if it is true for everyone then it is objectively true. Conversely, if the statement “all truth is relative” is false then it proves that, at least some truths are not relative; there are at least some objective truths.

· You can’t know truth:

Some people go as far as to say, that while there might be something akin to objective truth, no one can really know what truth is. So, they would object by saying “you can’t know truth”. To that objection we must simply ask: Is that true? Is it true that we can’t know truth? Because if it’s true that we can’t know truth then there is at least one truth that we can know (the statement that we can’t know truth). And if there is at least one truth that we can know then the statement “you can’t know truth” is false.

· There is no objective truth:

Some people might concede that there is truth, just not objective truth. They might say something like, “there is no objective truth”. This objection begs the question: Is that true for everyone? If “there is no objective truth” is true for everyone one, then “there is no objective truth” is an objective truth which, again, makes the statement false.

Listen to this clip from cloud atlas which gives us some insight into the nature of truth.

CLIP: Cloud Atlas (Truth is singular)

One more claim:

· Truth is only produced by science:

Many people believe only science gives us objective truths. To this we must ask: Is that a scientific truth? No, it’s not! You can’t prove that claim in a laboratory because it’s a philosophical claim.

When presented with objections like these, Christian apologists point out that saying there is no truth is like saying “I don’t speak a word of English”. You must use English to say, “I don’t speak a word in English”. The statement refutes itself.

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WHAT IS TRUTH (PART 2)?

INTRODUCTION

DEEPER INTO THE OBJECTIONS

LAWS OF LOGIC:

· The law of identity:

· The law of the excluded middle and

· The law of non-contradiction

OBJECTIONS TO OBJECTIVE TRUTH:

• There is no truth:
• All truth is relative:
• You can’t know truth:
• There is no objective truth:
• Truth is only produced by science:

WHAT IS TRUTH?

Definition:

Theories for truth:

• Correspondence:
• Coherence:

Tests for truth

• Logical consistency:
• Empirical Adequacy:
• Experiential relevance:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE AND HISTORY

• Philosophical method:
• Scientific method:
• Historical method

STANDARDS FOR PROOF

• What is evidence?
• What is proof?

LEGAL SYSTEM:

• Different burdens of proof:
• Beyond a reasonable doubt
• Clear and convincing evidence
• Preponderance of the evidence

Two kinds of evidence:

TRUTH AND CHRISTIANITY:

· Existence of God

· Historicity of the bible

· Resurrection of Christ

· Deity of Christ

FORECAST TO NEXT EPISODE

In the next episode we will start to consider the question: What is God. With this question we are going to look at the philosophical and scientific evidence for the existence and nature of God.

But for now, I bid you farewell and until the next time, remember:

The truth matters and so do you!

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WHAT IS TRUTH (PART 1)?

PODCAST EPISODE 2 OUTLINE

Introduction:

What is truth? This is a question Quote Pontius Pilate asking this question to Jesus.

John 18:38
38Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?” And after saying this, he came out again to the Jews and *said to them, “I find no grounds at all for charges in His case

Pilate walked away before Jesus could answer his question. Which means he didn’t really want an answer. Pilate’s attitude toward the truth is very similar to our society’s attitude toward truth today.

People claim to want the truth but what they really mean is that they only want truths that make their lives more comfortable; truths that are convenient.

1. A biblical perspective on truth..

John 14:6
6Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

1 Peter 3:15-16
And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread, 15but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect; 16and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

2. Objections to objective truth

· There is no truth

· All truth is relative

· You can’t know truth

· No objective truth:

o Christianity is not objectively true = just a matter of opinion

o Jesus is a liar

o The existence of God is a matter of opinion

In the following two podcast episodes I will demonstrate three things:

o Objective truth exists

o Objective truth can be known

o Christianity is based on and defined by objective truth claims about reality

SUMMARY PART 1

We have come to the end of our second episode so let’s summarise:

· There are two kinds of truth claims: Subjective (opinions and preferences of the subject) and objective (grounded in the object of the claim)

· There is a difference between a truth claim and an established or verified truth (proved by evidence).

· All truth claims fall into at least one of these four categories:

o Material

o Mental/Conceptual

o Metaphysical

o Moral

Thank you for listening and until next time, remember: The truth matters, and so do you!