On Truth Categorization

Truth is true in the first place.

To be true means to conform to fact. A fact is something objective—independent of personal opinion, desire, or perception—standing in contrast to the subjective.

To seek truth is to align knowledge with reality. Human beings, through inquiry and observation, strive to bring their internal understanding into correspondence with the external world. This process is not merely cognitive; it is existential, shaping how we live and act.

Truth exists regardless of recognition. The world holds its own truth, its own structure and order, whether or not anyone perceives it. Human recognition does not create truth—it discovers or approximates it.

Therefore, truth is essentially a reflection of layered reality. Because reality itself is layered—ranging from the relative to the absolute, from the perceptible to the foundational—truth, too, is layered. There are partial truths, contextual truths, and universal truths, each situated at different ontological levels. To grasp truth fully, one must understand not only what is true but where in the structure of being that truth belongs.

1. Definition of Truth

Truth is the correspondence between a proposition and reality. It is not simply what is believed, nor what is agreed upon, but what is—it reflects reality’s structure, not opinion.

2. What is Relative Truth

Relative truth is truth under condition. It is truth dependent on context, perspective, or framework. For instance, “water boils at 100°C” is relatively true—within Earth's atmosphere at sea level. Relative truths are condition-bound and valid within limited domains. Their scale is localized, and their borders must not be violated.

3. What is Absolute Truth

Absolute truth is truth independent of any condition, scale, or subject. It is universally valid, applying across all times, places, and perspectives. Absolute truths are unchanging and instance-wide. Examples include laws of logic, pure mathematics, and truths residing in the Absolute layer of reality—independent of recognition or representation.

4. The 2×2 Layered Truth Structure

Instancology proposes a stratified framework for understanding truth, mirroring its layered ontology:

- RR (Relative Relative) – Truths dependent on both subject and context. Cultural norms, preferences, social conventions.

- AR (Absolute Relative) – Truths arising from nature, universally shared by all observers within this instance. Physical facts, natural constants, biological regularities.

- RA (Relative Absolute) – Truths issued from the Absolute but not representable. Includes laws of logic, mathematics, life, and consciousness as whole phenomena.

- AA (Absolute Absolute) – The unspeakable, formless origin of all being. Not a truth among others, but the background of truth itself. Cannot be represented but only pointed to through negation and silence.

5. Consequence of Categorical Violation

Confusing relative truths with absolute ones leads to philosophical errors, scientific misjudgments, and even ideological dogma. When RR truths are mistaken as RA or AR truths, cultures become dogmatic. When RA truths are denied in favor of RR opinions, logic and mathematics collapse into relativism. And when AA is spoken of as if it were RR or AR, it becomes idolatry or superstition. The proper categorization of truth is vital for both personal understanding and civilizational development.

6. Summary

Truth is layered, because reality is layered. From the conditioned truths of social life, to the natural facts of the physical world, to the unconditioned order of logic, to the unspeakable source of all—each level holds its own kind of truth. To seek truth is to seek alignment with reality in its fullness, and to do so requires knowing not only what is true, but what kind of truth one is dealing with.