Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Wood Box Wisdom


The wood box has been dishing out a lot of wisdom on truth lately. It must be because whenever I hear something or someone proselytizing on the virtues of truth I always think, "the truth about what?" Here Nietzsche hits pretty close to answering my thought in the opening of this quote. There are literally "mountains of truth"; truth of the matter, truth about opinion and fact, truth about feelings and impressions, truth about the past, universal truths, un-discovered truth, plain truth, self-evident truths, the God's honest truth, my truth, your truth, what is the truth? In my research I have found the root of the word is over 2,000 years old, an Old Norse word meaning faith. I find this appropriate because you must have faith to discern the truth. I think the truth is a finite point.  I think truth defines fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life. These are the truths Nietzsche is talking about and I know I have not been climbing in vain. To discover the truth is to know right from wrong, good from bad, righteousness from evil. To know the truth is to know thyself.


truth

1.
the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.
2.
conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.
3.
a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.
4.
the state or character of being true.
5.
actuality or actual existence. 
6.
an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.
7.
honesty; integrity; truthfulness.
8.
( often initial capital letter ) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.
9.
agreement with a or original.
10.
accuracy, as of position or adjustment.
11.
Archaic . fidelity or constancy.

12.
in truth, in reality; in fact; actually: In truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire.


Origin:
before 900; Middle English treuthe, Old English trēowth  (cognate with Old Norse tryggth  faith). See true, -th1

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