What is Truth?
"What is 'truth'?"
I was asked this question last night, and I believe my answer contained the words 'authentic', 'true to oneself' and possibly 'genuineness'. I was not prepared for the question, as deep as it was/is. However, in my true scholarly fashion, and after a shallow dive into a few websites, I would like to start the discussion and begin framing a more coherent answer.
We are raised to 'tell the truth'. For children, this 'simply' means, state the facts. For my youngest son, telling the truth was very difficult. In fact, he would stay firm in his false account of the day or a situation for as long as possible. Not telling the truth usually resulted in some form of consequence, however, telling the truth which involved misbehavior of some sort also resulted in a consequence - usually of lesser detriment (because you were honest).
"Why do we mistake honesty for truth when we’re on the same page? Because we all tend to see ourselves as the standard for the truth about reality. We assume we’re unbiased. When we’re with like-minded people they must be unbiased, too – in direct contact with the truth."
-Psychology Today
Without diving into a secondary conversation about bias and 'truth about reality' what do the great philosophers say about truth?
- Plato believed truth depends on being.
- Socrates said truth was something lived, not thought or simply known.
- Aristotle's definition“ To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true”
"The problem of truth is in a way easy to state: what truths are, and what (if anything) makes them true. But this simple statement masks a great deal of controversy. Whether there is a metaphysical problem of truth at all, and if there is, what kind of theory might address it, are all standing issues in the theory of truth".
-https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth/
Well of course there have to be theories of truth - especially if we're looking through a philosophy lens.
I knew when I reached this point of reading LATE last night, that I would have to do a deep dive- and possibly a year long investment, to do due diligence in being able to academically answer the question "What is truth?".
Let me digress into the arts - in my usual fashion:
Johnny Cash released a song in 1970 called "what is truth?". While it addresses questioning societal issues, specifically civil rights and war - it is still relevant today. It hits a bit on 'bias' that I referenced earlier. Take a listen. There is also a gospel song written by Cash called "Truth" inspired by Mohammad Ali. Ali was described as a person who was the same in public as in private (someone I would describe as authentic).
The linguistic nerdy side of me wanted to dabble into origins of the word Truth - albeit old English
- In Greek 'truth' is alétheia and was in ancient Greek culture, synonymous for reality.
- In Latin 'truth' is veritas, meaning reality. The English words very and verity, among others, are derived from it.
(maybe more on the word study in a later post)
Let me leave this blog post today with a quick connection to education, and specifically educational leadership.
One of the books I read for my Superintendent certification in 2023 was "Coherence: the Right Drivers in Action for Schools, Districts, and Systems", by Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn.
As there is a Coherence Theory of Truth, I wanted to see how coherence in education might related to this theory. The theory as explained by Harold H. Joachim. The Nature of Truth; An Essay. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1906:
“Truth in its essential nature is that systematic coherence which is the character of a significant whole.”
In simpler terms:
A coherence theory bases the truth of a belief on the degree to which it coheres ("hangs together") with all the other beliefs in a system of beliefs (typically one person's beliefs, but it could be any body of knowledge). -InformationPhilosopher.com
Fullan and Quinn developed a Coherence Framework that can be mastered by leaders or any group really, to achieve Coherence in a somewhat messy system. I believe every educational leader can attest that education is a 'messy' system. I often speak of the whirlwind that can disrupt an hour, day, week or longer if you let it. If you allow your focus to come off your ultimate vision, in essence you are operating outside of this coherence Framework. The four main features of this framework that allows leaders to be coherence makers, and that happen simultaneously are:
- Focusing Direction : initial and continuous engagement in the goals/vision
- Cultivating Collaborative Cultures: cultivating individual expertise to be focused on a collective purpose
- Securing Accountability: Developing conditions that maximize internal accountability and reinforce internal accountability with external accountability.
- Deepening Learning: Knowledge building partnerships for everyone engaged.
Being true to your leadership style, when building coherence with your team is imperative. Having shared vision and beliefs like "every student can succeed" is how a system of beliefs cohere together.
I've just dipped my toe into this discussion and I am nowhere close to finding my best response to "what is truth?". Let the learning journey continue.
I hope it has allowed you to percolate on your own thoughts - I would love to hear them!
References:
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambigamy/201808/the-difference-between-honesty-and-truth
- https://www.corevirtues.net/
- https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth/
- https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/truth-quotes
- https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/truth-the-story-behind-the-johnny-cash-song-inspired-by-muhammad-ali/
- https://biblehub.com/greek/225.htm
- https://www.dictionary.com/e/translations/veritas-aequitas/
- https://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/articles/joachim-a.pdf
- https://informationphilosopher.com/knowledge/coherence.html
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