AN important area of study in epistemology is the question of truth. In fact, truth is one of the central subjects for anyone interested in the study of philosophy. Truth has been a topic of discussion in its own right for thousands of years. 

I vividly recall that while studying philosophy, which is a prerequisite for studying Christian theology, I learnt that the most important “theories of truth” are the correspondence theory, the deflationary theory, the coherence theory, and the pragmatic theory. Most students of philosophy will certainly remember Aristotle, who said, “To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true”. 

This week Christians throughout the world will commemorate the death (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter Sunday) of Jesus. When Jesus was brought to trial, Pilate asked the question, “Quid est veritas?” (What is truth?) Pilate never got the answer that he was looking for because Jesus was speaking on another plane and they both had different starting points when it came to truth.

In an era where false news is prevalent and truth easily spun, the question of truth and meaning is quite at the centre of many discussions. Most of us are aware that truth can be manipulated for one’s own purposes, especially for political expediency. This becomes more nebulous when objective truth is replaced with subjectivity and justification. 

Two recent examples come to mind when reflecting on truth. Firstly, Noh Omar, an Umno lawmaker who was recently reported to have said in the Dewan Rakyat that “stealing is only a crime when a person is caught red-handed”; secondly, PAS’ Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz who seemed to have said it is okay to lie in order to protect the party. In such situations, quid est veritas?

Politicians seem to have a knack for misrepresenting truth. What is more worrying is that there are those who will go to extreme lengths to defend such ludicrous propositions but then again, if a lie is reinforced  over a period of time, it may then become the truth. It was William Shenstone, an 18th century English poet who once said,  ‘A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood.’

It would seem that truth nowadays has become so subjective that truth in itself has no value. We live in a world where truth is now defined based on a person’s perspective, feelings or opinions. Children who are caught for getting up to mischief are told by their parents to “tell the truth” but then again, in a child’s world, what is truth? Has truth got any value at all when it would seem that truth in itself becomes susceptible to being manipulated and justified? 

The subjectivisation of truth has its implications, namely, there are no longer absolute moral truths – the concepts of right and wrong are left to individual interpretation. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche rightly said, “truth is not good for its own sake; rather, it is only good to the extent that it serves life.” This seems to be the era we live in – how can stealing or telling lies be correct? This is worrying!

With social media impacting the lives of most people, no one seem to know what is truth or what is a lie any longer. Have we now become so gullible that we no longer know the difference between objective truth and manipulated truth? Much of the Malaysian political landscape has been guided by “manipulated truths” and perhaps it is time in this new Malaysia for the absolute truth to liberate us and set us free. 

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts” (Abraham Lincoln). 

The ball is in your court, PH!

* Dr Clarence Devadass is a Catholic priest and director of the Catholic Research Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Moral education is an issue close to his heart. He focuses on paving resourceful ways to promote virtues for living in a multireligious society, for a significant life together.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.