1. Module 22: WHAT IS TRUTH? & the Role of Evidence 1

2. WHAT IS TRUTH? 1: Dual Meaning of Truth 2: Definition of Truth 3: Doors to Truth 4: False Standards (Informal Fallacies) 5: Scale of Evidence (Burden of Proof) 6: Tests of Truth (Validation) 7: Zeroing In On the Truth 8: Holy Ghost Revelator of Truth 2

3. Tier 1 Status Existence What You Think Tier 2 Status Consciousness Objective Standard of TruthReality Objective Standard of Truth REALITY GOD NOTHING WHATSOEVER STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND THE STANDARD OF TRUTH: REALITY REALITY MIND HEART CORRESPONDENCE TRUE BELIEFS When what I think corresponds with the way things are in reality … then I think truly. REALITY THE STANDARD OF TRUTH Objective Standard of True & False 3

4. What You Think Tier 2 Status Existence Objective Standard of TruthRealityReasonMind Objective Standard of Truth Tier 1 Status Consciousness Feelings Expert Opinion Scriptures Prophets God NUMEROUS VALID & INVALID SOURCES OF TRUTH God, Faith & Heart Subjective Standard of Truth Primacy of Consciousness What Others Think becomes Standard of Truth The Fallacy and Danger of Sources of Truth Becoming Standards of Truth Subjective Standard Conformity With Revered Authority Competing Gods, Feelings, Authorities, Scriptures and Prophets All Vying for Your Allegiance! 4

5. What You Think Tier 1 Status Existence Objective Standard of TruthRealityReasonMind Objective Standard of Truth NUMEROUS VALID & INVALID SOURCES OF TRUTH Tier 3 Status Sources Feelings Expert Opinion ScripturesProphets God, Faith & Heart Subjective Standard of Truth The Fallacy and Danger of Sources of Truth Becoming Standards of Truth Tier 2 Status You God 5

6. What You Think Rational Faculty REALITY STANDARD OF TRUTH Introducing Informal Fallacies A. Emotionalism / Irrationalism … Appeal to Emotions Emotions rather than reality as standard of truth. Emotional faculty has primacy over rational faculty (Heart over Mind). Star Wars—“Luke … let go … follow your feelings.” Personal feelings take over all five branches of philosophy and become the standard by which we judge what is: (1) real or unreal; (2) true or false; (3) good or evil; (4) just or unjust; and/or (5) beautiful or ugly. WILLFULNESS Subjective Standard Conformity With Feelings Primacy of Consciousness What I Feel Emotional Faculty 6

7. What You Think Rational Faculty REALITY STANDARD OF TRUTH B. Argumentum ad Populum … Appeal to Popular Opinion Opinion polls rather than reality as standard of truth. A wide spread acceptance of a view makes it true. Truth is what the majority believe it to be. It must be true since so many people believe it. It must be good since so many people want it. It must be right since so many people do it. WILLFULNESS Subjective Standard Conformity With Popular Opinion Primacy of Consciousness Introducing Informal Fallacies 7

8. What You Think Rational Faculty REALITY STANDARD OF TRUTH C. Argumentum ad Verecundiam … Appeal to Authority A revered authority rather than reality as standard of truth. A famous person such as an athlete says it is true. A parents argument … “It’s true because I said so.” It must be true since my favorite teacher said it was. It must be good since my best friend loves it. It must be right since a popular role model is doing it. WILLFULNESS Subjective Standard Conformity With Revered Authority Primacy of Consciousness Expert Opinion Authority Figure Credible Source Introducing Informal Fallacies 8

9. What You Think Rational Faculty REALITY STANDARD OF TRUTH C. Argumentum ad Verecundiam … Appeal to Authority WILLFULNESS Subjective Standard Primacy of Consciousness Introducing Informal Fallacies Conformity With Word of God Holy Scriptures It must be true since it’s in the Bible. It must be believed since it is the word of God. It must be adhered to regardless of consequences. “The Bible Says It – I Believe It – That Settles It” 9

10. Bible Like A Fiddle Warning While it is certainly true that the Bible is like the fiddle (in that every kind of tune can be played upon it), what must always be remembered is that there are: (1) tunes that will save you, and (2) tunes that will damn you; So you must be very careful as to which tunes you dance to. George Q. Cannon: “It has frequently been remarked by those who scoff at it [the Bible] that it is like a fiddle, every kind of a tune can be played upon it. It requires something more than the Bible to guide man to eternal life. It requires divine inspiration, it requires the Holy Ghost, it requires the Priesthood, as it existed in ancient days, to be restored,” (JD 14:54). 10

11. What You Think Rational Faculty REALITY STANDARD OF TRUTH (Blind Obedience) “When the Prophet Speaks the Debate Is Over” It must be true since the prophet said it was. Which is your favorite prophet to listen to? Prophet Poker (when sayings contradict) Conformity With Living Prophets Church Leaders C. Argumentum ad Verecundiam … Appeal to Authority Introducing Informal Fallacies WILLFULNESS Subjective Standard Primacy of Consciousness 11

12. Brigham Young: “Now let me ask you, if you trust to my faith, to my word and teachings, counsel and advice, and do not seek after the Lord to have His Spirit to guide and direct you, can I not deceive you, can I not lead you into error? Look at this and see to what mischief it would lead, and what an amount of evil could be done to a people if they did not live so that the Spirit of the Lord would dwell with them that they might know these things for them- selves” (JD13:171). BLIND OBEDIENCE AND BLIND FAITH ARE DESTRUCTIVE OF A RATIONAL FAITH Elder Charles W. Penrose: “We are accused of following our leaders in ‘blind obedience.’ There is no such thing in the Gospel,” (JD 21:89-90). 12

13. BLIND OBEDIENCE AND BLIND FAITH ARE DESTRUCTIVE OF A RATIONAL FAITH Joseph Smith: “We have heard men hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those who preside over them even if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself, should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God would despise the idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the saints were told to do by their presidents, they should do it without any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves” (Millennial Star, Vol. 14, No 38, pg. 593-594). 13

14. What You Think Rational Faculty REALITY STANDARD OF TRUTH “Thus Saith the Lord” Will of God takes over all five branches of philosophy and becomes standard of what is: (1) real or unreal; (2) true or false; (3) good or evil; (4) just or unjust; and/or (5) beautiful or ugly. Conformity With Will of God Absolutism of God C. Argumentum ad Verecundiam … Appeal to Authority Introducing Informal Fallacies WILLFULNESS Subjective Standard Primacy of Consciousness 14

15. Brigham Young: “I could give you, thus saith the Lord; but the faith we have embraced is so reasonable, rational and consistent, and so easily proved, that I am not under the necessity of saying, thus saith the Lord. If I wanted you to believe a mass of folly and nonsense, such as others wish you to believe, then it would be necessary to say, thus saith the Lord, to operate upon the fears of the more ignorant and superstitious of mankind. The truth always stands upon its own foundation, and speaks for itself” (JD 10: 340) THUS SAITH THE LORD “So Let It Be Written So Let It Be Done” 15

16. OBJECTIVE STANDARD OF TRUTH Metaphysics & Epistemology Tier 2 Status Consciousness TRUTH Cognitive (Rational) FacultyMIND Sensation Perception Conception D&C 93:24 “And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” DISCOVERED NOT CREATED BY THE MIND Tier 1 Status Existence EPISTEMOLOGY ETERNAL TRUTHS EPISTEMOLOGY REASON FAITH MIND HEART REALITY METAPHYSICS GOD METAPHYSICS ETERNAL LAWS Correspondence Theory of Truth Objective Standard of TruthREALITY Objective Standard of Truth 16

17. Subjective Standard of Truth The Primacy of Consciousness Tier 2 Status Existence WILLFULNESS REPLACES LAWFULNESS Objective Standard of TruthReality Objective Standard of Truth REALITY METAPHYSICS GOD BRIDGE TO EPISTEMOLOGY REASON MIND FAITH HEART GOD METAPHYSICS REALITY BRIDGE TO EPISTEMOLOGY FAITH HEART REASON MIND Tier 1 Status Consciousness Subjective Standard of TruthGod Subjective Standard of Truth What You Think WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD AS THE STANDARD OF TRUTH REPLACES REALITY AS THE STANDARD OF TRUTH? 17

18. (2) Skepticism (Ignorance): “Truth is unknowable because reality is unknowable.” Reality does not exist in and of Itself. That is, independent of the mind. And if, perchance, such an independent reality does exist, we are completely cut off from it, trapped behind our senses and/or our limited perspective. (Truth exists but is unknowable) (1) Relativism (Time and Place): “What was true yesterday and in Rome may not be true today and in paris.” There are no “things as they are” only “things as they appear to be.” That is, as they “appear to me or appear to you.” (Truth is relative…it changes) RELATIVISM / SKEPTICISM / SUBJECTIVISM / DOGMATISM (3) Subjectivism (Truth is Person to Person): “What may be true for me is not necessarily true for you.” Robert L. Millet: “I am fully persuaded that there is no such thing (at least among us mortals) as a completely objective perspective and that no person can write from that lofty literary pedestal we refer to as an objective point of view. We are who we are and we see things, not necessarily as they are, but rather as we are. Now I’m not arguing here for a rabid relativism but rather am acknowledging that I am who I am and thus see things and write things accordingly” (The Vision of Mormonism, p. xxiii) (My own version of Mormonism + 15 Million versions as well) Ayn Rand: “man is blind because he has eyes. Deaf because he has ears. Deluded because he has a mind, and the things he perceives do not actually exist, because of the fact that man perceives them.” (4) Dogmatism (False Certitude): “Whatever God Wills Is True. Just do it.” 18

19. Truth of Speech (Telling the Truth) Truth of Thought (Knowing the Truth) CORRESPONDENCE THEORY “Truth Is Knowledge of Reality” Reality (Standard of Truth) 2 … Definition of Truth EPISTEMOLOGY (Knowing … x is true) TWO DOORS TO THE TEMPLE OF TRUTH (Science and Religion) Observation (Works of God / Creation) Revelation (Word of God / Scripture) 3 … Doors to Truth 4 … False Standards ( Informal Fallacies ) God (Appeal to Authority) Feelings (Appeal to Emotions) Popular Opinion (Appeal to Popularity) Expert Opinion (Appeal to Authority) Scriptures (Appeal to Authority) Prophets (Appeal to Authority) God (Standard Bearer) 1 … Dual Meaning of Truth 19

20. Questions? 20