Rationality Lecture: Understanding Truth and Reality
The Rationality Lecture: Truth and Reality
3.1 Knowledge: Epistemology
Epistemology (from the Greek episteme, meaning “true or safe knowledge”) is the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge. It addresses questions such as:
- What is knowledge?
- What methods provide knowledge?
- What is the origin of knowledge?
- What are the limits of knowledge?
3.1.1 Epistemology as the Center of Philosophical Reflection
Epistemological problems are genuinely philosophical (as has been stated since the modern era). This centrality is determined by the magnitude of science—natural sciences are the paradigmatic example of knowledge. Before starting any research, we must determine whether we can investigate what we want, which method to use, and what the objectives of the investigation are.
3.1.2 The Concept of Knowledge
- Knowledge vs. Unsafe Knowledge:
- Opinion: An assessment of reality based on a proposition not yet demonstrated (may be true or false).
- Belief: A subjective assessment; a state of certainty when a person maintains an opinion.
- Dubitative use: “I think it will happen, but I don’t know.”
- Assertive use: “Christopher Columbus believed the Earth was round” (although he was confident in his travels, Magellan was the one who demonstrated it).
- Safe Knowledge (Episteme): Sure knowledge (or science) is characterized by a proposition, or set of propositions, having a rational demonstration or empirical evidence that makes it true. Knowledge is objectively true, i.e., rationally acceptable to all (e.g., the Earth is round, or the square root of 16 is 4).
Types of Knowledge
- Theoretical Knowledge: The set of propositions that are rational and therefore testable, supported as true. It forms the set of information that explains the world.
- Practical Knowledge: Refers to human actions. It consists of the set of skills and techniques related to various fields of human action (moral, technical, artistic).
Theoretical Knowledge in Detail
The term ‘theory’ comes from the Greek word ‘theoria,’ which means to contemplate. Thus, theory is the dispassionate contemplation or vision of objective reality. It allows not only to describe this vision, stating what reality is, but also to give reasons why it is so. As Aristotle said, scientific knowledge is always knowledge of the causes.
Functions of Theoretical Knowledge:
- Describe: What is X? (What features does X present?)
- Explain: What causes X?
- Predict: When will X occur again?
3.2 Language and Knowledge
This refers to theoretical knowledge of language; language is the means by which knowledge is acquired, saved, and conveyed.
3.2.1 Features of Language
- Language is the ability to communicate using signs. Natural or spoken languages are called “languages.”
- Language is arbitrary or conventional (it symbolizes facts in a conventional way).
- Language is structured: it is constituted by a finite set of signs that combine according to grammatical rules to represent any thought. It is creative.
3.2.2 Language and Reality
Language allows us to represent and manipulate reality through concepts. Through abstraction, from concrete knowledge of things and sensory data, universal concepts are formed. These concepts represent common features of things.
The relationship between language, thought, and reality exists on three levels:
- Syntactic level (signs): The signifier (the physical form of the sign).
- Semantic level (relationship between signs and meaning): The signified (the concept or idea).
- Referential level (relationship with extralinguistic references): The referent (things, events, concepts).
3.3 Truth and Reality
Meanings of the word “truth”:
- The term ‘truth’ can refer to something that actually exists or has existence (e.g., “Martin wanted his real mother.”)
- The word ‘truth’ can designate the relationship between a sentence and the fact it refers to. If there is correspondence between the fact and the sentence, then we say the sentence is true (e.g., “It is true that 2 + 3 = 5.”)
3.3.1 Truth of Facts
When we use the word “truth” as synonymous with reality or existence, we can distinguish between:
- True reality: The fact itself; the truth.
- Appearance: The way the fact is presented or known to a person. Appearances can be deceiving, and uncovering the truth (dis-covering) is the fundamental task of science.
3.3.2 Truth of Propositions
The most common meaning of the word “truth” refers to the relationship between phrases or sentences and the facts or things they refer to. In other words, truth is generally predicated on sentences or propositions, rather than facts or things.