An Exploration of The Universal Truth

In order to understand universal truth, we must begin by defining truth. Truth, according to the dictionary, is “conformity to fact or actuality; a statement proven to be or accepted as true.” Some people would say that there is no true reality, only perceptions and opinions. Others would argue that there must be some absolute reality or truth. One view says that there are no absolutes that define reality. Those who hold this view believe everything is relative to something else, and thus there can be no actual reality. Because of that, there are ultimately no moral absolutes, no authority for deciding if an action is positive or negative, right or wrong. Universal truth exists but people will never know it.

Despite some person’s perfect argumentation of his/her truth, sometimes, people feel that person’s opinion, or action is not right. That feeling can be discussed as universal truth. To take for example Paradox of the Court: After instruction, Euathlus decided to not enter the profession of law, and Protagoras decided to sue Euathlus for the amount owed. Protagoras argued that if he won the case he would be paid his money. If Euathlus won the case, Protagoras would still be paid according to the original contract, because Euathlus would have won his first case. Euathlus, however, claimed that if he won, then by the court’s decision he would not have to pay Protagoras. If, on the other hand, Protagoras won, then Euathlus would still not have won a case and would therefore not be obliged to pay. So, both sides of this court are right because their argumentation is right and logical and also law is not abolished by anyone. This, maybe, has a conclusion that everybody has his/her own reality, but despite listening and analyzing both arguments there is a feeling that Euathlus is not right and he needs to pay to his teacher deserved money for teaching Euathlus. This may be universal truth what we feel is right justice, but even this human cannot know exactly with 100%.

Despite feeling of truth of every person every human has his/her own reality, truth and morals. That’s why it is impossible to know truth what spreads on every human. For example, simply to take colors; person N1 sees book and says that it is blue, person N2 agrees but they even do not suspect that person N1’s blue color can his for example green for person N2. Person N1 was taught person N2’s green was blue. Maybe, just names stay and colors change for each human. N1 cannot settle in N2’s body and know what is going on with his/her view. So, if humanity cannot even trust colors how they can trust anything else?

To take for example Greek philosopher Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. He describes group of people who are chained on the wall of cave for a whole life facing a blank wall. People see shadows on the wall what are created by fire behind the prisoners. Because of chains prisoners cannot go outside and see sun, so they think that fire is the brightest thing in the world. Prisoners is the humanity, fire (illusion of truth) and shadows are illusion what people see, cave and chains are something that encumbers people to know the universal truth – the sun.  What we see we cannot trust because we are “locked” in this reality as prisoners in Plato’s cave are. We think that what we see is reality and even do not suspect that it cannot be true.

Knowing truth is impossible because people are delayed by their 5 senses; if they cannot trust their senses they can trust logics; if they cannot trust logics as mentioned in Paradox of the court what they can trust? Stays only feelings and belief of justice and truth, nothing else. But person cannot know anything exactly, so we cannot say with 100% what is universal truth even by believing what answer is; version and belief of what is universal truth cannot be denied or agreed, while it is not denied completely there is a chance that mentioned is true. We even do not suspect that some things are real while won’t see it, as prisoners did not suspect sun’s existence, so that does not mean that there are not “surprises” in this world what we do not know. That’s why we cannot exactly know Universal Truth; to believe is not the same to know. Knowledge cannot be denied, it can be agreed; belief cannot be denied but it also cannot be agreed.

If people can never know universal truth maybe it does not even exist? Simply, to take a square. Square has four sides and each of them are equal, also has for 90o angles; every person agrees with that. But does Ideal Square really exist? Squares what we draw or what are printed in math textbooks can have angle A one/billion degree more than angle B; so with that sides cannot be exactly equal too. It is not founded an ideal square in the world for a while; so what are than for example formulas of completing a square if square does not exist? It is just idea of square what cannot be denied. So if idea of the square exists but is not founded in nature or created yet there may be things too what humanity did not think about or found.

Everybody has his/her own reality, but universe has its own too. It is full of secrets what we will never know fully, we forever will stay prisoners of cave and even if we will be able to see how brightly shines the sun there still can be star what shines brighter.

Works Cited:

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2021). Katherine Johnson: A lifetime of STEM. NASA.
2. National Women’s History Museum. (n.d.). Katherine Johnson. National Women’s History Museum.
3. O’Connor, J. J., & Robertson, E. F. (2019). Katherine Johnson. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
4. Roettger, E. (2020). Katherine Johnson: The woman who helped land on the moon. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/katherine-johnson-the-woman-who-helped-land-on-the-moon
5. Shetterly, M. L. (2016). Hidden figures: The American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race. William Morrow.
6. Shetterly, M. L. (2017). Hidden Figures: The untold story of the African American women who helped win the space race (Young Readers’ edition). HarperCollins.
7. Shetterly, M. L. (2020). The real Katherine Johnson biography: NASA, women in STEM, and early computing. Viva Books.
8. U.S. Department of State. (2016). African-American Women at NASA. U.S. Department of State.
9. Wilkinson, A. (2019). Katherine Johnson: The NASA ‘computer’ who helped put a man on the moon. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47337903
10. Woolf, A. (2017). Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician who helped put a man on the moon. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/12/katherine-johnson-nasa-hidden-figures-space-race-mathematics