Truth

In the The Evolution of Knowledge, Truth is defined as the gradation or state of Equality a Proposition (Referral) has when describing and predicting a Network of existing Entities (the Referred). It implies a Verification of Equality in the association between what an Agent thinks and what actually exists.

Truth is categorized into four distinct levels based on objectivity and subjectivity:

• Physical Objective Truth: This is Reality itself (the Continuum), which exists independently of any living subject or observer.

• Physical Subjective Truth: This refers to an Agent's perceptions and thoughts about Reality. Because the Mind lives in the Abstract Dimension, it can only perceive the physical world through "distorted representations".

• Abstract Objective Truth (Social Truth): These are abstract entities that are anchored by society through Virtual Objectivity. By agreeing on shared meanings for concepts like laws, mathematics, and logic, society treats these abstractions as objective and predictable.

• Abstract Subjective Truth: These are private, individual thoughts and beliefs that exist only within a single Mind and do not rely on centralized social knowledge.

  
  

Key Characteristics of Truth:

• Truth as Knowledge: Truth is considered a form of Knowledge; therefore, it is ever-changing, subject to evolution, and prone to resistance from those who hold existing beliefs.

• Relativity: Truth is relative to the Agent. What one individual holds as a "truth" (such as a personal feeling or a private belief) may not be recognized as truth by another individual or by physical objectivity.

• Truth as a Value: Truth is described as a Value—a strategic, aspirational goal functional to an individual's or society's needs. Agents seek it because it is practical; it allows them to maximize the "Strategic Output" of their tools.

• Equality and Verification: In practice, rigorous equality between a thought and reality is often impossible. Instead, society uses Virtual Objectivity to accept various tools and "grades" of accuracy as functional substitutes for absolute equality.

• Practical Truth: This is the "cultural truth" that ensures the maximum fulfillment of an Agent's values and dreams. A tool has maximum Practicability when it is perfectly aligned with this practical truth.

  
  

Finally, the sources note that science chases truth but faces inherent obstacles, such as the Representation problem (the Mind cannot touch physical reality directly) and the Permanency problem (the universe is in constant flux, making every scientific theory a "permanent candidate" for future refutation).