Definitions: Truth, Truthfulness, and Honesty

[D]EFINITIONS OF TRUTH.

TAUTOLOGICAL TRUTH: That testimony you give when you promising the equality of two statements using different terms: A circular definition, a statement of equality or a statement of identity.

ANALYTIC TRUTH: The testimony you give promising the internal consistency of one or more statements used in the construction of a proof in an axiomatic(declarative) system. (a Logical Truth).

IDEAL TRUTH: That testimony (description) you would give, if your knowledge (information) was complete, your language was sufficient, stated without error, cleansed of bias, and absent deceit, within the scope of precision limited to the context of the question you wish to answer; and the promise that another possessed of the same knowledge (information), performing the same due diligence, having the same experiences, would provide the same testimony. (Ideal Truth = Perfect Parsimony.)

TRUTHFULNESS: that testimony (description) you give if your knowledge (information) is incomplete, your language is insufficient, you have performed due diligence in the elimination of error, imaginary content, wishful thinking, bias, and deceit; within the scope of precision limited to the question you wish to answer; and which you warranty to be so; and the promise that another possessed of the knowledge, performing the same due diligence, having the same experiences, would provide the same testimony.

HONESTY: that testimony (description) you give with full knowledge that knowledge is incomplete, your language is insufficient, but you have not performed due diligence in the elimination of error and bias, but which you warranty is free of deceit; within the scope of precision limited to the question you wish to answer; and the promise that another possess of the same knowledge (information), performing the same due diligence, having the same experiences, would provide the same testimony.

Intuition: (sentimental expression) – an uncritical, uncriticized, response to information that expresses a measure of existing biases (priors).

Preference (rational expression) : a justification of one’s biases (wants).

Opinion: (justificationism) – a justified uncritical statement given the limits of one’s knowledge about external questions.

Position: (criticism) – a theoretical statement that survives one’s available criticisms about external questions.

Demonstrated Preference: – Evidence of intuition, preference, opinion, and position as demonstrated by your actions, independent of your statements.

A Hierarchy of Truths:

1. True enough to imagine a conceptual relationship
2. True enough for me to feel good about myself.
3. True enough for me to take actions that produce positive results.
4. True enough for me to not cause others to react negatively to me.
5. True enough to resolve a conflict without subjective opinion among my fellow people with similar values.
6. True enough to resolve a conflict without subjective opinion across different peoples with different values.
7. True regardless of all opinions or perspectives.
8. Tautologically true: in that the two things are equal.

TRUTH IS A WARRANTY OF DIFFERENT DEGREES.

Source: (1) Curt Doolittle