by Gary C. Gibson

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

Moral truth is a compound term of abbreviation for some sort of larger phrase. Perhaps we should inquire:

1)-'is there some sort of moral system that is true while all other systems of morality are comparatively false'?

Another phrase that 'discuss the idea of moral truth' could point to would be something such as:

2)-'can moral systems have the quality of being true or false'?

Because there are so many possible ways to approach the two word term 'moral truth' in the absence of a particular context, I shall limit this discussion to just those two mentioned above. Morality described behaviorally through observation in as neutral and objective of a way as is possible-and it is generally stipulated today that complete objectivity isn't possible-is what people actually do.

While one may formulate abstract ethical systems, moral systems tend to evolve over time. Juxtaposed with the facts of moral practices within a given social environment there is the question of truth. What is truth it has been asked for about three thousand years. Truth in a modern context is simply a finding that something predicated to be so actually is. Truth is a principle of identity between predicate and subject. Truth occurs when what is said to be actually turns out to be so. For example, if I say that five plus ten equals fifteen then my statement is true. The possibility of truth exists because the possibility of falsehood exists as well. If I said that five plus ten equals twelve, then that statement would be false.

Truth is said to exist when the words about some point of reference are in agreement with the actual state of affairs. Truth may also be said to be an abbreviation or disquotation theory such as Strawson mentioned. That is if someone asks if it is true that the United States, for example, has red and blue politically oriented states I can agree that it is true, and avoid providing a list of all the individual states that are either red or blue politically today. If morality is an actual practice that a society has for social behavior, then statements about it can be made such that 'it is true that conduct A occurs', or' it is false that conduct Z occurs'.

Statements of truth and falsehood about the existence or non-existence of particular moral conduct may occur obviously. Those statements are subject to scientific verification. The question of 'is a particular moral system better than another' is a more abstract and difficult question-quite different from statements made about observable moral practices. We may decide that some moral practices are better or worse than others as voters I would guess. Moral practices are determined in order to provide for a healthy functioning society. The design of abstract Utopian conditions, or the selection of various moral systems to design, follow or abstract from natural law are greater questions bound in a larger realm of interrelated philosophical inquiries.

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