--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
drafting spec…
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--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
---
name: Truth
slug: truth
type: epistemic primitive
status: unstable
version: 0.0.∞
released: "before recorded time"
maintainer: unknown (disputed)
dependencies:
- reality
- language
- trust
- a-willing-observer
license: unlicensed (forks proliferate anyway)
tags:
- philosophy
- epistemology
- load-bearing
- frequently-misquoted
---
# Truth
## What it actually is
A correspondence between a claim and the state of [reality](/reality), mediated entirely by systems that are bad at both.
## How it works
1. Something happens.
2. A mind encounters it, filtered through [perception](/perception), language, memory, and [desire](/desire).
3. The mind forms a belief.
4. The belief is expressed as a statement.
5. The statement is evaluated against the original event, which no longer exists and cannot be directly accessed.
6. Repeat until philosophy.
The gap between steps 1 and 6 is where most of recorded human history lives.
## Features
- **Correspondence** : a statement maps cleanly to an actual state of affairs. Rare. Satisfying when it occurs.
- **Coherence** : a statement fits without contradiction inside a larger belief system. Common. Frequently mistaken for the above.
- **Pragmatic truth** : a statement is "true enough" to act on. The version most people actually use. Runs on consensus and good lighting.
- **Uncomfortable truth** : technically the same as regular truth, but with worse timing.
## Known bugs
- Indistinguishable from [confident wrongness](/confident-wrongness) at runtime.
- Highly sensitive to who is speaking and who is listening.
- Tends to arrive late, after consequences have already deployed.
- Multiple users can hold contradictory instances simultaneously without either instance crashing.
- Rhymes with [power](/power), which causes frequent misuse.
> "I just wanted the truth."
> — every person, immediately before or after failing to want it
## Error codes
ERR_OBSERVER_BIAS : Truth occluded by observer's prior beliefs ERR_INCENTIVE_CONFLICT : Truth is present but costly to return ERR_LANGUAGE_LOSSY : Truth exists but cannot survive translation to words ERR_TOO_EARLY : Truth has not yet compiled into consensus ERR_TOO_LATE : Truth compiled but all affected processes have exited WARN_PARTIAL_TRUTH : Technically accurate, functionally misleading
## Edge cases
- **The truth that helps no one.** Valid. Compiles. Nobody asked for it.
- **The truth everyone knows but nobody says.** Lives in a special cache called [the unspeakable](/the-unspeakable). High availability. Zero access.
- **The truth that changes when observed.** See [quantum mechanics](/quantum-mechanics), [feelings](/feelings), and most relationships.
- **Sincere fiction.** A story everyone agrees is false that nonetheless transmits truth more efficiently than facts. See [myth](/myth), [metaphor](/metaphor).
## FAQ
**Q: Is truth relative?**
A: The underlying state of affairs is not. Your access to it is. These two facts are constantly being swapped in arguments.
**Q: Does it set you free?**
A: Occasionally. More often it complicates your afternoon and estranges someone who preferred [the comfortable version](/the-comfortable-version).
**Q: Who owns it?**
A: See `maintainer: unknown (disputed)` above. Several institutions have filed claims. None have been granted.
## Changelog
- **All versions prior to now** : Truth attempted. Results varied.
- **v0.0.∞** : Still running. No stable release scheduled. Patches welcome.