What is truth?

“What is truth?” – Thus go the famous words attributed to Pontius Pilate as Jesus appeared before him. While many Christians probably think Pilate’s remarks contained a touch of cynicism, I beg to differ; those words represent great wisdom.

Truth is difficult to pin down because the nature of reality is so fluid. Absolute truth, by definition, requires an absolute understanding of reality, including its many facets and layers. The question should really be phrased as “What is reality?”.

Quantum physics indicates that the physical universe contains many versions of truth. Schroedinger’s cat is alive or dead – which is the truth? Theoretical models postulate a myriad of universes wherein every possibility is actualized. Looked at this way, everything is true (or nothing is).

Religions teach us that there is a God that defines truth, and then go on to inform us as to precisely what that truth is. Unfortunately, there are numerous versions competing for the “Absolute Truth” title, just as there are numerous Gods competing for the title of “One and Only Supreme Being”. And, by definition, any Supreme Almighty deity would encompass the vast universe, with all its myriad quantum versions of the Truth. Sounds like a paradox to me…