- published: 22 Jun 2016
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Truth has a variety of meanings, primarily being in accord with fact or reality, fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal and, in common usage, constancy or sincerity in action or character. The opposite of truth is falsehood, which, correspondingly, can also take on a logical, factual or ethical meaning.
Language and words are a means by which humans convey information to one another. As such, "truth" must have a beneficial use to be retained within language. Defining this potency and applicability can be looked upon as "criteria", and the method used to recognize a "truth" is termed a criterion of truth. Since there is no single accepted criterion, they can all be considered "theories".[clarification needed]
In religious context, truth is regarded as an aspect of God since the deity is reputed to have knowledge of all things (omniscience). Thus God may hold the office of divine judgment, by which all people are ultimately judged.
Various theories and views of truth continue to be debated among scholars and philosophers. There are differing claims on such questions as what constitutes truth: what things are truthbearers capable of being true or false; how to define and identify truth; the roles that revealed and acquired knowledge play; and whether truth is subjective or objective, relative or absolute.