What is Truth?

     Truth is an explanation of what is and what is not. Truth is Reality. Any proposed explanation (known as a hypothesis or claim) put forward to answer the question of “what is True?”, or “what is Real?” requires evidence to validate the claim. The more evidence there is for a claim, then the more likely it is to be True. A claim without evidence cannot be logically accepted as True (yet). While an unsupported claim is not necessary false, it cannot currently be logically accepted as Truth. In general, logic is the system through which we most quickly identify Truth. In a more poetic sense, logic is the language of Truth. 

     Without evidence available, the only logical belief is skepticism or uncertainty. Skepticism is the default position for any claim. When developing a hypothesis (claim), the burden of proof belongs to the person making any claim of Truth. Of note, the default position must logically be disbelief (or skepticism) for any new claim proposed. This default position is also referred to as the null hypothesis. Disbelief is a logical necessity for the following reasons. First, if the default position were to automatically accept the claim as True until someone else demonstrated otherwise, then the claim would be True unless we were able to disprove it. It is not always possible to demonstrate something doesn’t exist. Secondly, all things cannot be True. Because of these reasons, a claim must always be met first with skepticism and the burden of proof belongs to the person making a new claim. 

  Skepticism is an engine toward truth. Skepticism is a logical and critical examination of the facts presented, meticulously reaching conclusions about what is True as the evidence mounts. Faith (or believing in a claim without actual evidence) is not an engine toward Truth. Faith is an engine toward feeling good about things we don’t actually know. Faith is synonymous with gullibility, guessing about an outcome for which we may not have any evidence for.