On Truth and Falsity

                                True and False Systems

Most humans have a natural desire to learn that which is true and that which is false. Humans argue about this very fact every day in every walk of life. Whatever the truth is, it must be pure. If any falsity attaches to any truth, then that sense object or thought object, or any system composed of these experiences, cannot be completely true. All basic, irreducible sense objects such as "round," "hard," or "red" can only be pure truth simply because there happens to be no way in which they can be false. No skeptical, infinite test is necessary. But basic, irreducible sense objects can be formulated into true or false systems. The sense objects themselves remain absolutely true, but the system itself can be false. All falsity happens in this way. For example, the formula: "Light has to be propagated through space through a medium called aether" has proven to be false although every sense object in the formula proves to be useful and true. The thought object "aether" has proven to be a false idea that results from a false system. As of now, the word "aether" means nothing. This fact shows that the thought idea called "nothing" has also proven to be a true and useful idea that indicates the presence of falsity that should be usefully discarded.

All basic, but general, thought objects also prove to be pure truth because there happens to be no way in which they can be false. Such thought objects as "justice," "beauty," and "truth" can only be true ideals to which formulated systems aim to arrive. Such systems can be true or false, but the basic ideals for which these systems aim always prove to be pure truth. Systems that prove themselves to be useful for the benefit of humans are always true systems. Systems that prove to be harmful to humans are always false even though the basic ideals that compose both of these systems always prove to be true. Falsity never occurs to any basic, irreducible sense object or any ideal thought object because no falsity whatsoever can be found in them. Because of the limitations of human intelligence, dogmatists search for good systems of pure truth that will benefit the well being of their fellow humans. In this search, they engage in formulating systems of speculative opinion. Even the dogmatic scientists' theories can be only speculative opinions until they are proven to be true or false by experimentation. Nevertheless, any theory which any scientist may formulate, whether true or false, will never fail to comprise true sense objects and/or thought objects. The dogmatists formulate some systems that prove to be true and useful and some systems that prove to be false and should be discarded. Nevertheless, all dogmatists should be commended for attempting to formulate true systems that will increase the knowledge and well being of their fellow humans.

As a general rule, all human experience consists of basic, irreducible sense objects, ideal thought objects, true systems, false systems, and systems of opinion. All of these systems never fail to consist of true and real sense objects and/or thought objects. Mathematics proves to be a perfect example of this truth. The basic, real number happens to be the number one. All higher numbers are merely additions of the number one. The number one is true and real simply because it cannot be false, and so are all the higher numbers. The sign "zero" cannot be a number. It numbers nothing. But it indicates the real and useful idea of nothing. If a person thinks or writes 2+3=6, that happens to be a false system even though every sign and number can only be true and real. It proves to be false because it is useless. The formula really equals the useful idea of nothing. It equals zero. If that person corrects his mistake and recalculates that 2+3=5, then that person has formulated a true system because it happens to be useful to humans in many ways. But whether the system is true or false, every number and every sign within either system proves itself to be true and real simply because they cannot be false. If, as the skeptics believe, no one can ever tell if numbers and signs are true or false, then true mathematical calculations would be impossible and useless. But mathematicians have discovered certain theorems which no one has ever been able to prove whether they are true systems or not. But the mathematicians search for the truth, and they devise different systems of opinion as to how to find the true answers whether those answers are true and useful or false and useless. Even false systems produce true results because the idea of nothing that identifies the falsity in these systems also indicates that the false system should be usefully discarded.

If one opens a dictionary at random to any page and reads the words, one will find that every word has a meaning. Every word will represent a basic, irreducible sense object, a general thought object, a true system, a false system, or a system of opinion. Some systems can be true or false depending on how they are used. Some words mean nothing because they result from false systems. Even nonsense words are false because they are useless. Nevertheless, they all have a true meaning. They all mean nothing.

If humanity had ever adhered to the philosophy of the skeptics that no difference between truth and falsity can ever be discovered, then human progress would have become impossible. The hypocritical skeptics claim that they achieve "quietude" because they accept the laws and customs of the societies in which they live. pb. OP p. 21. They ignore the fact that laws, customs, and institutions are good, but not perfect, systems devised by the dogmatists, whom they despise, for their safety and well being. Thank God, humanity ignored the philosophy of the skeptics and continue to search for true systems that will benefit humanity. If the skeptics had had their way, then all societies would have degenerated into brutal systems because the skeptics see no difference between civilized and barbarian societies. Even the empirical scientists, who claim to be skeptics, use the scientific method in their attempts to discover the difference between truth and falsity.