I'm trying to shrink my grander statement to more simple terms, so I'm going to start making threads on the involved bits.

Thus: Truth

What is truth? I have heard so many explanations from belief based on nothing to repeated experience by a group. The answers all have one basic idea in common: It's all the most popular guess. Objective anything is a nice idea, but is inaccessible because all experience is subjective.

Thoughts?

How tall are you?

Tall enough that my feet touch the ground. You?

5 foot 11 inches

Would you not see the same measurement if I stood next to a ruler?

Depends, whose ruler is it? Is it in spans? Zelnarms? PSI? What defines an inch? My foot is 15 inches in length, to use that system of measurement. Thus you must be 86 inches tall. Now if we can agree on what an inch is, we'll be getting somewhere.

Is it true that the earth revolves around an axis, so there are 2 places on the surface of the earth that the earth 'revolves around'? Or is this only a flickering reality?

If you never see either of these 'poles' by traveling to them (and observing that all the apparent orbits of celestial bodies appear to revolve around you), do they truly exist??

precisely

Depends, whose ruler is it? Is it in spans? Zelnarms? PSI? What defines an inch? My foot is 15 inches in length, to use that system of measurement. Thus you must be 86 inches tall. Now if we can agree on what an inch is, we'll be getting somewhere.

There is a piece of metal at the Bureau of Standards that represents an exact inch. All rulers are standardized to this one. A foot is 12 inches.

I haven't seen that. If I did see it, I may or may not agree with it. I was told in school that an inch is the distance between your knuckles on your middle finger. If I agree with that, will my inch be their inch?

That is not the definition of inch, but the history of it's origins as a unit of measurement. There is no room for disagreeing with it. An inch is by definition the length of this piece of metal.

So what defined the piece of metal before the inch?

Not what, who.
We 'defined' the metal - about sometime before the bronze age.

based on what?

Well, metal is generally based on mineral deposits; we 'dig up' the minerals and refine something, we call "metal".
You did go to high school, then?

5 foot 11 inches

Would you not see the same measurement if I stood next to a ruler?

5 11 sounds like an estimate.

Bet you're taller in the morning too.

Truth? That is anything that is not false. :)

Objective anything is a nice idea, but is inaccessible because all experience is subjective. But logic is objective and reveals everything.

Spectrum-If I say that I do not have four arms, then that is not false, correct? I have trouble with this, because I can't verify completely that this is not the case. Perhaps I do, and don't have access to two of them.

Logic is a tool, and relative to the user. Two men looking through a telescope may see the same image, and draw differing conclusions.

5 11 sounds like an estimate.

Bet you're taller in the morning too.

:bugeye:

Simon...c'mon...

It's true, JD. Try it sometime. Measure yourself when you get up, then measure yourself when you go to bed. Compare the two. My difference is almost 3/4's of an inch.

Spectrum-If I say that I do not have four arms, then that is not false, correct? I have trouble with this, because I can't verify completely that this is not the case. Perhaps I do, and don't have access to two of them.

Logic is a tool, and relative to the user. Two men looking through a telescope may see the same image, and draw differing conclusions.

it's too risky to deny logic's concrete importance. Absolute certainty doesn't exist, but we cling to the best we've got. So believe whatever you must but don't step too far off the train or you will be left lonely and desperate.

IOW, get back in line like you're supposed to, lemming, and quit worrying about where we're going!

What is truth?

An accurate description of reality.

Does it matter if it is not 100% accurate or if it comes to you through your senses?

Not in the least.