In this post we will look at how one might respond to five self-referentially incoherent things people say about truth.
Self-referential incoherence is a logical fallacy in which some claim is made that, upon being applied to itself, refutes itself.
1. “There is no such thing as objective truth.” Really? Is that statement objectively true? If so, it is objectively true that there is no objective truth.
2. “Only that which can be proven scientifically can be called ‘true.’” Can you prove scientifically that one should accept only that which can be proven scientifically? Nope. Therefore you should either abandon your position or agree that there are other ways
3. “Everything is true.” Ah, I see; then you must also believe that nothing is true, right? For if the claim, “Nothing is true” is not true then it is not true that everything is true.
4. “What’s true for you may not be true for me.” Is that statement true only for you, or is it true for everyone? If it’s true only for you, then I don’t need to accept it. But if it’s true for everyone, then it’s not true that all truth is relative.
5. “We should be skeptical about truth.” If it is true that we should be skeptical about truth, then we should be skeptical about the claim that we should be skeptical about truth. But the more skeptical one is about one’s skepticism the more certain one becomes.