Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality. In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, propositions, and declarative sentences. It is the aim of belief, and falsity is considered a fault. Truth is important because people need it to thrive, and believing what is not true can have negative consequences.
There are various perspectives on the nature of truth, including:
- Correspondence theory: Truth corresponds to reality or "what is." It is real and matches its object, being known by its referent.
- Coherence theory: Truth is a feature of the overall body of belief considered as a system of logically interrelated components. An individual belief is true if it sufficiently coheres with, or makes rational sense within, enough other beliefs.
- Pragmatism: Truth is not simply whatever works. Lies can appear to work, but they are still lies and not the truth.
- Divine revelation: Truth is ultimately defined in terms of God, whose very nature is truth. All truth is Gods truth, and it can be known only through divine revelation.
In philosophy, truth is a central and complex subject that has been discussed for thousands of years. It is a fundamental concept in various contexts, including philosophy, art, theology, and science.
