How do you know something is true? Answer by using Berkeleys or Descartes opinion?

Answer 1

According to Descartes, the only thing that one can know for certain is that they exist. Even if all that I perceive is a deception, the fact that I am perceiving it and contemplating it is evidence that I am at least some sort of entity. I cannot know for certain of what that entity is but I can be certain of it's existence.

Answer 2

Its not that easy to define Truth, as opposed to 'whats True for you, or me?'.

Then, we get to, what your question implies, or should, 'Is there a universal Truth'?.

Which would then be True for everyone, like it or not.

When Descartes said that now-infamous line, he was just full of himself. I mean, its OK for him to say that, but does that mean anyone can say that, with any relevance?

Descartes had the 'Tools' to think with, & while we all can assume that we do, too, are we full of ourselves, too, to admit that.

When Descartes said that, he was part of a Secret Mystical group that gave him access to certain info, not readily available to the common man. And, by his quote, he was encouraging his brethren, to take another deeper look at things below the surface.

We admire these sayings now, but, that could have gotten him put to death, back then, as historically evidenced by bigots, who we have come to know today, as Christians.

Ah, the price of Freedom.

A more accurate question is 'How do we come to know anything?'.

You can't say because you read it somewhere, or someone told you, thats what your parents said, or you studied it in College, in your Masters Degree Program, someone showed you, etc.

You certainly then, cannot say you thought it through, so it must be True. Because then, you would be using that same physical Brain to think with, & we all know, how wrong we can be, using that tool.

All we are doing then, is interpreting our impressions of how we understand things.

Throw that 'baby' out with the bath water, please!

You cannot say God told you so, it must be True.

Therefore, to know if something is True, it cannot be Thought. But, you say, thats how we come to know things.

Its not a thinking process that brings you there. Imagine if President Bush, the Congress, etc, decides, after careful thought, to wipe out certain races, peoples, etc, off the earth, & accomplishes it successfully, would that be Truth?

True for whom?

Socrates defined Truth as the 4 Great Virtues, & living your life accordingly.

Answer 3

Descartes= one can know something is true if one has a clear and distinct thought of it

Answer 4

um... evidence.. such as scientific data.. and after science has done its deed in trying to prove it wrong for a number of years i tend to accept it. philosophy holds no answers in this areana. you can say "all i can know for sure is that i exist" all you want. anything good philosophers have had to say has been distilled into the scientific method... the rest is semantics and mental illness as wittgenstien would put it.

Answer 5

By knowing what is false.

Apply the negative approach to discover or know what is true.

By negating all the false you can uncover what is true.

False is always divisive or fragmented, its usefulness is limited. it is always destructive. it is always exclusive.

Truth or true is always wholly, its usefulness is for everybody --- (no one is left behind) It is everlasting.

I hope this can help for you to see what is true.

Answer 6

I never know if anything is true. I just believe.

Answer 7

I think therefore I know it is true.