I ended up over the years with a definition of truth that: “Truth is what it is useful to believe.” That is, one ought to believe the set of propositions such that one’s utility is maximized, assuming one has a coherent utility function to begin with. But in practice this usually means a statement is true to the extent that it predicts future experience. The other way in which this definition of truth might show up is in helping people coordinate due to sharing unfalsifiable memes, such as in religion.
Ah, I suddenly realize that this comment, while true and kind (two of your comment criteria), is not necessarily useful. Well, anyway, perhaps it’s a perspective you’d find useful for reasons I cannot predict.
I ended up over the years with a definition of truth that: “Truth is what it is useful to believe.” That is, one ought to believe the set of propositions such that one’s utility is maximized, assuming one has a coherent utility function to begin with. But in practice this usually means a statement is true to the extent that it predicts future experience. The other way in which this definition of truth might show up is in helping people coordinate due to sharing unfalsifiable memes, such as in religion.
Ah, I suddenly realize that this comment, while true and kind (two of your comment criteria), is not necessarily useful. Well, anyway, perhaps it’s a perspective you’d find useful for reasons I cannot predict.