- Personal Truth
- Political Truth
- Objective Truth
By Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse-Tyson
All of these are real and need to be understood. Beliefs held by individuals are called personal truths. They are real truths to individuals. Examples are aliens, flat Earth, ghosts, zombies, ESP or magic.
Political truths are beliefs held by groups of people. A leader with a personal truth can spread this idea to a group. Then this belief can become a political truth for a group of people.
Objective truth are facts that are borne from rigorous scientific investigations. Repeatable and immutable facts are objective truths. Today there are more objective truths than at anytime in human history. It increases endlessly since we are a curious species. Always asking why and how our world works. Knowledge spreads far and wide. Objective truths are not changed by the other types of truth.
People are able to be influenced by the other truths. We are taught by our parents, families, churches, communities, cultures and leaders personal truths. Even schools and teachers can give us political truths. It may be hard to know the difference. But it is knowing the difference that is most important. It can bring us together or tear us apart.
Facts are facts. Facts are important. But the mob armed with personal and political truths can ignore facts and become powerful. And dangerous. Today’s American Republican political party relies on political truths. It’s danger is borne of fear. Fear mongering and demonizing minorities and others is a proven method of whipping up support for political truths.
Every war or conflict starts from a bunch of political truths that are absolute lies. Absurdities about other people. Dehumanizing another population makes war and conflict possible.
People universally want peace and security. People want to be happy and safe. But just blame a scapegoat for some government shortcoming and you have seeds of hate.