Truth
Truth is one of the fundamental building blocks of reality. One could probably say that without truth, nothing could exist. In fact, not only is truth a fundamental building block of reality, but it is also a central character trait and attribute of the one who is in control of all things, namely God himself. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the triune God, proclaimed about himself in John 14:6, "...I am the way, and the truth, and the life...". From that verse and others, we can conclude that truth is not something external to God himself, but is rather something that is inextricably joined and a part of His Being.
Evolution as a theory and a fact
The terms fact and theory can be applied to evolution, just as they are to gravity.[1] Misuse and misunderstanding of how those terms are applied to evolution have been used to construct arguments disputing the validity of evolution.
In the study of biological species, the facts include fossils and measurements of these fossils. The location of a fossil is an example of a fact (using the scientific meaning of the word fact). In species that rapidly reproduce, for example fruit flies, the process of evolutionary change has been observed in the laboratory.[18] The observation of fruit fly populations changing character is also an example of a fact, using the scientific meaning of the word fact. So evolution is a fact, at least using the scientific meaning of the word fact. These facts require an explanation, just as the observations of gravity did.
In biology, there have been many attempts to explain these observations over the years. Lamarckism, Transmutationism and Orthogenesis were all non-Darwinian theories that attempted to explain the observations of species and fossils and other evidence. However, the Theory of Evolution is the explanation for all relevant observations regarding the development of life, based on a model that explains all the available data and observations. Thus, evolution is not only a fact but also a theory, just as gravity is both a fact and a theory.
| Gravity | Evolution |
|---|---|
| Things falling is an observation of the pull of bodies towards each other. | Fruit flies changing generation to generation is an observation of generational organism change. |
| Bodies pulling towards each other is called gravity. | Organisms changing generation to generation is called evolution. |
| Gravity is a fact. | Evolution is a fact. |
| An explanation for the facts of gravity. | An explanation for the facts of evolution. |
| Aristotle and Galileo created explanations of the fact of gravity. These are now obsolete explanations. | Lamarckism, Transmutationism and Orthogenesis were created as explanations of the fact of evolution. These are now discredited explanations. |
| Newton's explanation of gravity is approximately correct but required refinement. | Darwin's explanation of evolution is approximately correct, but required refinement. |
| Einstein's explanation is a refinement of Newton's explanation of gravity. Einstein's explanation is currently the most accepted explanation of the fact of gravity. | The modern evolutionary synthesis is a refinement of Darwin's explanation of evolution. This modern synthesis is currently the most accepted explanation of the fact of evolution. |
| Einstein's explanation of the fact of gravity is called The General theory of relativity. | The explanation of the fact of evolution provided by the modern synthesis is the latest and most widely accepted Theory of Evolution. |
| Gravity is a fact and a theory. | Evolution is a fact and a theory. |
Truth as a Value
Truth can be considered to be a morally desirable trait in a person, since it the antithesis of "undesirable" traits such as deceit or corruption. Christians in particular uphold Truth as a desirable value, since it is something taught by the Bible, and Jesus himself.
