The Unitarian Universalist Fourth Principle says that UUs believe in “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” The Unison Affirmation says, “we gather together to celebrate within a caring community those truths which give meaning and direction to our lives.” But, what does it mean to say that something is true? And, how would we know if we had found a meaningful truth? Today’s message will look at truth from a philosophical perspective, assessing the four most important theories of truth that have been proposed in the Western tradition. The theories are the Correspondence, Coherence, Pragmatic, and Authoritarian theories of truth. Each theory presents an important idea about the concept of truth, but each is problematic. Thus, our search for truth continues.

Dr. Terry Goode is a long-time friend of the Fellowship. He has served as a member of the Finance Committee, the Program Committee, and the Communications Committee. Terry is a former philosophy teacher and a retired technology company owner. He teaches philosophy for the Clearing in the winter and for Bjorklunden in the summer. He and his wife Pam reside in Baileys Harbor. They are frequent travelers, and passionate supporters of Good Samaritan-Scandia Village.