We often find ourselves at a loss for words and with more questions than answers. When the perpetual thought that you are unlovable assails your mind, or the thought that you’re not good enough to be saved torments your peace, you want to be able to find answers, not just the opinions of others. If you’re a dreamer, unsatisfied with the daily on-goings of life as an employee, you want the skills to develop a plan for financial independence through a passive income stream. If you have dreams of being an academic, analyzing data, forming or refuting arguments, then you want the skills that allow you to do all of this. Well, in this article, we will discuss the key to thinking clearly.
I must admit that the title, like many media headlines, is misleading. There is not only one key, and by, ‘key’ here, I mean a portion of information or an area of focus. If there is one key, then, like an onion, it has layers. In what follows, we will examine a layer of critical thinking that is often overlooked, if not invisible to commentators altogether. The outer layers we know. We know that clear thinking involves the mind. We know that the mind is what we use to think. But the key, in the sense that I’m using it, to clear thinking is housed in truth. My claim is that when we understand two features related to truth, we will have a key that unlocks the door to clear thinking, the kind of thinking that allows us to acquire knowledge, skills, plans, and solutions to our problems.
But what is truth? I’m not the first person to ask this question. Pontius Pilot, an official of the Roman empire asked Jesus this question. The new testament recounts the story of Jesus’ interrogation by Pilot. Pilot is determining whether Jesus has committed an act worthy of death by crucifixion. Somewhere in the conversation Jesus states that he had entered the world to testify about the truth and that those who listen to truth listen to him. “What is truth,” responded Pilot. The plan of the Jewish leaders was to force Pilot to crucify Christ by claiming that he, Jesus, reported that he was the king, not Caesar. If Pilot didn’t respond, then he could be reprimanded by Caesar for not acting against a revolutionary. Pilot asked a question that many may never ask or even think about. We just assume we know what it is.
Aristotle, an ancient philosopher, sought to answer this question. He said,
“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true.” — Metaphysics 1011B25
This common sense view of truth is now called the correspondence theory of truth. Aristotle suggested that truth is connected to assertions, the things we say about the world. When what we say about the world corresponds or matches the way the world is, then we have spoken truly. But it follows from this that we can also speak falsely about the world.
This leads us to the first key to unlocking our clarity of thought.
1. Truth is a property of statements
Statements are like assertions. They can be true or false. But we can do more than just make or say statements. We can believe them, act on them, write them, or think them. Thus, our actions, beliefs, and thoughts are all lit by truth or darkened by falsehood. This helps all of us when we reflect on the role of our thoughts and beliefs in dealing with our problems. Many problems just are false beliefs that we have never challenged.
Furthermore, since the way the world is can be discovered by us, it follows that statements can be proven true or false. We can critique or analyze statements. Thus, if I believe “No one likes me” , and I recognize that this is a statement that is either true or false, then I am able to look for evidence or a rational explanation of its truth.
2. Truths are connected
Truth has what logicians call the property of ‘implication’. One truth implies another truth. If I am a Texan, then I am most likely an American citizen, if not a naturalized citizen. If I am a husband, then I have a spouse. If a shape is a triangle, then it has three sides. This relationship between truths or true statements provide us with the conditions to prove or disprove statements. Consider the following two statements:
1) A triangle is a shape.
2) A triangle has only three sides.
We know that if both of the statements are true, and I see a shape and it has four sides, then it is not a triangle. The connection between truth provide an opportunity for us to gather evidence. This helps us to think clearly.
Application of principles:
Let’s look at some applications of this property of truth.
First, this knowledge can build self-esteem. For example, consider a person who believes that no one likes him. If it is true that no one likes me, then this implies something about my relationships with other people. There should be no person that enjoys my company. So, if I meet Frank at work, and Frank finds pleasure from my company, then it is clearly false that no one likes me.
Second, this can help those who were taught false theology. For example, consider the teaching of Christian perfection where a regenerate Christian is thought to be sinless. We could reason the following way. If I am sinless, then I have no sin. Scripture teaches that I should resist the sinful nature within me. But if scripture teaches that I should resist sin in me (Romans 6:12), then it is false that a regenerate Christian is sinless. Thus, if I have struggled with a teaching that constantly encouraged the belief that a relationship with God was based on my sinless perfection, I am able to use this property or feature of truth to form true belief and abandon beliefs that are false on the basis of scripture.
Finally, an aspiring entrepreneur could use these principles to formulate plans for their start-ups. They could write rationale for their policies and procedures and critique their plans to scale their company or formulate an argument for pivoting the direction of the company due to social or technological changes. These are just a few applications of the truth properties presented, but feel free to watch and share the Youtube video that summarizes this article here: https://youtu.be/7PCnLsff5Q4