KNOWING THE TRUTH

How do you know when someone is

telling the truth?
What is truth?
 3 CANDIDATES

• BELIEF
• STATEMENT
• SENTENCE
What makes knowing the
truth so important in life?
KINDS OF TRUTH
1. Question of whether the truth of a
belief or statement is established or
arrived at by means of sense experience

●Empirical Truth- means of sense

●Rational Truth- means of reason
2. Question of whether or not knowing
the truth of a statement or belief
extends our knowledge or adds to what
we already know

● Synthetic Truth- extends our

knowledge
● Analytic Truth- does not extend
our knowledge
3. Question of whether or not a statement
or belief is true in all possible situations

● Contingent Truth- not true in all

possible situation
● Necessary Truth- true in all
possible
situation
4. Question of whether the truth of a belief
or statement can only be known by the
person who has the belief or makes the
statement

● Private truth- can only be known by

the person who has the belief or makes
the statement considered to be
true
● Public truth- can, in principle, be
known by everyone
5. Question of whether or not the truth
of a belief or statement is dependent on
the attitudes, preferences or interests
of a person or a group of persons

● Subjective truth- dependent on the

attitudes, preferences or interests of a
person or a group of persons
● Objective truth- not dependent
6. Question of whether or statement is
acknowledge to be true by everyone
WAYS OF KNOWING
 The theories of truth consist:

 CORRESPONDENCE

 COHERENCE

 PRAGMATIC THEORIES
 THE GENERAL METHOD OF
CORRESPONDENCE

 We can know whether a statement is true by

examining whether the statement/belief
corresponds to, or represent, a fact in the
world.
 THE GENERAL METHOD OF
COHERENCE

 We can know whether a statement/belief is

true by examining whether the
statement/belief coheres with the rules of the
relevant system.
 THE GENERAL METHOD OF
PRAGMATISM

We can know whether a statement/belief is

true by examining the consequences of
holding or accepting the statement/belief to
be true.
PARTICULAR METHODS OF
TRUTH
The particular methods of truth that we
shall briefly examine are:

 Observation
 Reasoning
 Intuition
 Mystical experience
 Appeal to authority
In sum, to know whether
statement/beliefs are true is to
generally examine whether or not they
correspond to facts, cohere with the
rules of a system, and result in
beneficial consequences.
CONDITIONS OF KNOWLEDGE
 Kinds of knowledge

Deals with truth from other

kinds
 Knowledge

Takes different forms as

shown by how we use the word
“know” in different situations.
Philosophers call this kind of
knowledge
“knowledge of acquaintance”
3 conditions for knowledge

• Belief
• Truth
• justification
The Condition of
Justification
Types of Disagreement
Disagreement in belief
Disagreement in attitude
Merely verbal disagreements
Reasoning and Fallacies
 Reasoning

The process of knowing or establishing

truth by means of our reason.
 Types of reasoning

• Deducting reasoning

• Inductive reasoning
 Deductive Reasoning

The truth of the premises is supposed

to prove that the truth .is certain

It can be Valid or Invalid

All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore Socrates is mortal.
What is the difference between
valid and invalid deductive
reasoning?
Valid- if the truth of the premises really
proves that the truth of the
conclusion is certain.
- it is sound and unsound

Invalid- even though the premises are

true it is possible for the conclusion to be
false
1. “If the rain falls, then the ground is wet.
The rain falls. Therefore the ground is
wet.”

2. “If the rain falls, then the ground is

wet. The ground is wet. Therefore, the
rain falls.”
 Inductive Reasoning
• The truth of the premises is supposed to
prove that the truth of the conclusion is
probable.
• It can be:
Strong
Cogent
Uncogent
Weak
“ all dogs are mammals. All mammals have
hearts. All dogs must have hearts.”

“ All birds can fly. An ostrich is a bird.

Then ostrich can fly.”
 When do we say that an
inductive argument is strong
or weak?
Cogent inductive argument

“Most Filipino boys like to play basketball.

Therefore, Mario likes to play basket ball.”

Unccogent inductive argument

“Most Filipino boys like to play basketball.

Justin Bieber is a Filipino boy. Therefor
Justin Bieber likes to play basketball”