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What may be said about the relevancy of ideas and their "truth" is their ability for application. If the idea can be applied to a real life situation, then the idea can be called a truth. If not, then the idea must be modified so that it can be applied.

Certain ideas need application in order for them to be true. One example may be love. If one does not show love, then one does not love. A more difficult example may be the interaction amongst people that produces societies. Society is an engagement between individuals, but the idea of "society" cannot be true unless one sees what a society is. One of my favorite sociologists, Georg Simmel, noted that the relationships between people are not physical, but more like an imaginary web. The results of those relationships are physical, but the emotions and connections between people involved are not.

Some ideas that do not need application in order for them to be true are called "abstract" ideas. That is why, even though we do not see something like "gravity," we do observe its influences and we collectively call them "gravity." Many ideas in the sciences require this abstract thinking, but many of them have applications that may only apply to molecular or atomic levels. For larger cases, these ideas must be slightly modified to accommodate those exceptions.

In this world, the definition of truth is very much subjective. Two people may have different ideas of what truth is, and whether or not an idea's applicative characteristic is enough for it to be considered as truth. For, some ideas that are held as true are sometimes considered as "not true" by others. For instance, in the case of legalization of marijuana, there will always exist at least two sides: the one side for the legalization, and the other side against the legalization. The side that wants to legalize marijuana will consider it a true application of the idea of freedom if marijuana is legalized. The side that does not want to legalize marijuana will consider illegalization a true application of the idea of security and protection. And so, these two sides will often be present in most ideas, and that is how other ideas form. As such, the debate of the truth of an idea is actually beneficial to society.

Whether ideas can or cannot be applied, it is up to the individual to accept them as true or not. This is a great part of what makes up a person's judgment. If, however, we can be accepting and tolerant of ideas that may not necessarily reflect our own, then our society will be better for it.

Learn more about this author, Joan Inong.
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