It’s difficult if not impossible to conceive of any idea more central to the well-being of mankind than that of truth. As I have noted many times in the past, people often mistakenly assume that they understand what a term means simply because they have heard and used it so many times.

          This is misleading and one of the reasons we often become muddled and confused in our thinking. 

           If you were asked to give the definition of truth, are you confident that you could offer up a satisfactory one? I think most people would answer in the affirmative without really giving the matter much thought. Many things only appear easy from afar but prove more complicated when we draw near and attempt to articulate our understanding of them.

          The concept of truth is as old as any other concept I suppose and our understanding of it, like so many other ideas, has evolved over time. 

          As with so many other important ideas, there has never been complete agreement regarding just what truth is. I hope here to avoid all arcane and esoteric explanations and keep the matter as simple and understandable as I am capable of doing.

          One of my purposes in life is to provide clarity. I derive a good deal of satisfaction from taking things which appear complex and complicated (either intrinsically or by design) and making them understandable to average people of normal intelligence.

           So, let’s make an attempt at a simple yet clear definition of truth.

          I believe the one most widely accepted in the west is that ‘truth is that which aligns or corresponds to reality’. Pretty simple, eh?

          So, what does it mean to align or correspond with something? Basically, the idea of one something aligning with another something means that both somethings are in agreement. They are in accord and not in disagreement with one another.

          Likewise, if one thing corresponds to another then they are very similar, match or agree almost identically.

          Thus, we can say that the truth is that which agrees with reality or with that which exists. And while not all people, and especially philosophers, have always, or perhaps ever, been satisfied with such a simple definition, I believe it will suffice for our purposes here. 

          One observation which I have made during my lifetime is that many people, and for a variety of reasons, seem determined to make things more complicated than they need to be.

          Some do so in order to appear intelligent and erudite, while others may do so simply because of the academic environment in which they reside. It really doesn’t matter why they do so since the results are identical.

          I suppose it might be a good idea to say a word about reality here since it is an integral part of our definition of truth.

          When I use the term reality, I simply mean that which exists and which we have the capability of apprehending. It is the natural world if you will and there is no place for supernatural speculations in our investigation here. It can either be proven with verifiable evidence or, it cannot be considered reality until such a time as it can.