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Do you see a difference between facts, truths, and reality?
Because I do. And I'll give an example to explain the difference I see.
EXAMPLE
It was once a written down in books that the Earth was flat. A lot of people had read this fact and absorbed it into their truths. However, in reality, the Earth was a sphere.
So here's what I think is the relation between facts, truths, and reality.
• Facts: books (i.e. citation).
• Truths: people.
• Reality: the universe.
I think these three worlds are not used with much awareness, so this causes for the words to be used synonymously, and I don't think these words are precisely the same.
I think the world becomes clearer and easier to articulate when these words are given specific meaning.
• Facts pertain to books (i.e. citation).
• Truths pertain to people.
• Reality pertains to the universe.
I think this model gives the meaning behind the word specificity and therefore clarity.
• I am being truthful. ≠ I am being factual.
5 Answers
- Omma DeinonLv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
I think facts are true by definition. For example, it is a fact that I have replied to your comment. A fact is self-evidently true in some sense. In that way, it shares the same role as the term 'reality' in your example. Reality is the sum total of facts.
Truth and falsehood I believe represent the way we human beings divide fact from non-fact. In a similar way, accurate and inaccurate, understanding and misunderstanding, etc.
The problem is that what is true/false or factual/non-factual is independent from the human mind. So when I "say" something is a fact or that something is true I might be mistaken or confused. Something only becomes a fact or truth when the mind corresponds with the world in some way.
A well-known puzzle related to this is called the Gettier problem.
For example, I believe that the library is open Monday-to-Friday. On Monday morning I go to the library and find out that it is in fact open: my belief corresponds to the world. I also see the schedule which states that the library will be open the entire week. This too corresponds with my past experiences going to the library. On Wednesday night I believe the library will be open, but without my knowledge it has actually burned down. At this moment the belief that the library will be open on Thursday becomes non-fact without my knowledge, and yet I had every reason to believe it to be true. This shows the contingency of belief on the world. It's a happy coincidence basically.
In the same way, my entire life experience could have been fabricated by some alien intelligence without my knowledge. This could be a fact in reality, and so none of my beliefs would be true. So what's left? The only thing that is completely factual is that we have an experience of one type or another. These are always factual even when we have been deceived about their true nature.
- 1 decade ago
A fact is a simple citation of a piece of information whether it is true or not.
The truth is an abstract term. If you say that you stole the cookie from the cookie jar and you did, then that is undoubtedly the truth. However, as Neils Bohr once said, "There are trivial truths and great truths. The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true.”
Take religion. A Christian may say that a tree is complex thereby proving that God is real. An atheist may say a tree is complex thereby proving evolution and not God is real. Both are irrefutable based off of evidence given.
Reality is something dependent on the individual. My reality is different from your reality. However, I am sure that there is some bigger picture that no human sees that I suppose may be seen as the "real" reality, the big mass of everything that happens. However, that still would not be the universe as you have suggested because in order for this "reality" to exist, it must extend beyond the limits of the universe which we know is not limitless. The "real" reality must include the universe and everything beyond it.
- 5 years ago
There are actually 4 things here: fact, truth, Truth and reality (one truth with a cap). We consider a fact something we can all (or a bunch of us) agree on. A fact can be shared all at once. "truth" (with a small "t") is how we interpret what's going on around us. Is is also open to debate and as with facts, the reasoning can be shared to 1 or many all at once. Both facts and truth gain credibility from argument (whether your own or from others). Truth and reality are different words for the same thing: unlike facts or truths, this is strictly individual yet universal at the same time. You cannot prove Truth or reality to others through argument, it is an experience. Experience happens within our body and cannot be shared or shown. Truth/ reality doesn't gain credibility from proofs, it is independent. Truth/reality is something you discover, it can not be taught nor can it be forced upon you. Whether you discover it or not makes no difference to Truth/reality, it is there and will continue on forever.
- MattLv 71 decade ago
Facts are unchanging things. No matter what people discover, facts do not change.
Truths are how we apply these facts.
Reality is what we can see and touch.
At one time, people's reality was that the earth was a very limited land. It might as well have been flat. The fact is that it was always round.
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