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An Exploration of The Nature of Reality. Science and Metaphysics.

What are Truths? Are There Absolute Truths?

What Are Truths?

A truth is an interpretive statement that attempts to accurately and correctly align with belief, experience or shared, known reality. Truths can be uniquely subjective, shaped by personal experiences, or objective, grounded in widely accepted observations. They are constructs, created by conscious beings attempting to describe and interpret our world. Truths are not inherent in nature. We are the truth-makers.

Truths are inherently relative, shaped by time, place, and circumstances. A book full of truth is merely paper and ink until it is read.

The Nature of Truth


Truth is subjective and relative, with personal beliefs often seen as truths, regardless of their factual accuracy.

Facts, however, are universal and empirically tested, focusing on what we objectively know, not what we believe, ie: The Earth orbits the Sun.

Facts are not absolutely absolute, but they’re the closest thing we have to absoluteness in a contingent, evolving universe. They’re provisional, framework-dependent, but indispensable for rational discourse.

Prioritizing facts over beliefs fosters consensus and stability in society.

Are There Absolute Truths?

Philosophy has long debated the concept of absolute truths, which are typically defined as principles that hold universally, independent of belief or context.

Domains Where Absolutes Seem to Exist

Mathematics and logic: 1+1=2 is universally accepted within its human-constructed framework. These abstract truths are verifiable across all contexts that adhere to their systems' rules.

Math/logic are as absolute as anything can be—but their absoluteness is conditional on accepting their frameworks. Outside those systems (or if axioms change), their "truths" may not apply. This makes them functionally absolute for practical purposes, but metaphysically debatable.

Domains Where Absolutes Break Down

Ethics, morality, and metaphysics: Concepts like "good versus evil" vary dramatically across cultures and philosophical perspectives. Religious claims about divine truths similarly reflect cultural relativism rather than universality.

The Core Paradox

Both of these statements create seemingly logical contradictions:

As absolute claims, both statements are logically flawed. But as subjective assertions, they reflect philosophical positions—neither strictly "true" nor "false" in an objective sense. Subjective statements are not absolute, they always exist within the framework of the individual making them. They rely on individual interpretation, experience, perspective, language and logic. These constrain how we discuss truth itself. Absolute truths, by definition, would have to hold universally—unchanged by who perceives them. For example, if someone claims, “Vanilla is the best ice cream flavor,” that’s a subjective truth—it’s absolutely true for them, but not universally true for everyone. Contrast that with a claim like, “Water boils at 100°C at sea level,” which is an objective fact based on physical laws.

The Interconnected Nature of Reality

Nothing in existence is absolute because everything is intertwined. Consider a tree:

The boundary between what the tree "is" and what it "isn't" becomes blurry upon examination. This interconnectedness undermines any claim of absolute, isolated existence.

Scientific Truths: Provisional Not Absolute

Scientific truths evolve as new discoveries emerge. Newtonian physics was "true" until Einstein refined it; today's quantum mechanics may be tomorrow's oversimplification. This dynamism suggests that:

Conclusion: The Freedom of Relativity

It is comforting to know there are no absolute or inherent truths in nature. This understanding:

In a dynamic, interconnected universe, truth emerges as a process of interpretation rather than a fixed destination. This doesn't diminish truth - it reveals its living, evolving nature.