Truth Cannot be Forced on Others

Philosophy, 1997

There is a venerable tradition according to which the concept of truth is totally independent of human beings, their actions and beliefs, because truth consists in the correspondence of mind-independentpropositions to a mind-independent reality. For want of arespect. One way of doing so is relativism, the idea that whether a belief is true or false depends on the point of view of individuals or communities. A closely related position is a consensus theory of truth, according to which a belief is true if it is held by a (suitably qualified) group of people. In a similar vein, the pragmatist theory maintains that a true belief is one which it is expedient for us to accept.

2009

2024

Put on your rose coloured glasses

The Conversation, 2023

In this short article, we detail some of our concerns about the popular expression 'speak my truth.' The article is also available here: https://theconversation.com/with-so-many-people-speaking-their-truth-how-do-we-know-what-the-truth-really-is-205388.

‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me’. John 18:37

American Journal of Islam and Society

I should like to begin this essay with a sincere apology. More than five yearshave passed since Professor Atif Khalil penned his scholarly critique ofsome of my suggestive ruminations on intra-Islamic theological ecumenismin the introduction to my translation of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghâzalî’s Fayṣalal-Tafriqa.1 While scholarly convention – not to mention etiquette ‒ wouldcertainly demand a much more timely response than I have been able tomanage, I am afraid that I can plead no better than to throw myself on theunderstanding of those who have insight into and appreciation for the variousways in which the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 have skewedthe scholarly agenda of many an Islamicist. I sincerely hope that this delaywill not be construed as some kind of veiled or surreptitiously snide dismissalof Professor Khalil’s thoughtful analysis. I also hope that it will nothave gone so far as to suggest any inability on my part to respond to whatI shall argue amounts to a clever but u...

2020

Exploring the Philosophical Terrain, 2013

This article surveys different philosophical theories about the nature of truth. We give much importance to truth; some demand to know it, some fear it, and others would even die for it. But what exactly is truth? What is its nature? Does it even have a nature in the first place? When do we say that some truth-bearers are true? Philosophers offer varying answers to these questions. In this article, some of these answers are explored and some of the problems raised against them are presented.

Claridades. Revista de Filosofía

This essay shows that truth cannot be divorced from human experience and an individual’s world view, his or her weltanschauung. There exist different weltanschauungen that favour alternative truths. Thus, loosely speaking, truth is determined by context. It may be socially acceptable to prefer one among the alternative truths as truly true, but this goal necessarily involves taking an ideological perspective on what is perceived and accepted as the sole truth. In other words, it is prejudiced. The truth value assigned to the proposition God exists starkly illustrates this claim, but in the course of this essay I demonstrate that alternative truths are widespread and that conflicting truths can co-exist within a community even when they create dissension. A hegemonic group will assert a preference for one truth over its alternatives, but that does not eliminate the existence of alternative truths. Alternative weltanschauungen need to be managed somehow, and the recognition that alter...