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Chapter 6 - Truth and Truthfulness

from Part II - Virtues of Direct Caring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  aN Invalid Date NaN

Robert C. Roberts
Robert C. Roberts
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
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Summary

‘Truth’ refers to reality – what is, was, will be, and should be – and its aspects, in the context of representations thereof. A true something is the real thing, and a true proposition, belief, hypothesis, exemplar, and so forth is a successful representation of truth in the first sense. The virtue of truthfulness is the judicious love of truth in both senses. From love of reality and correct representations of it, the truthful person tends to tell others the truth as she sees it, but is not fanatical about telling it, because virtues like justice, compassion, and gentleness, which themselves are a kind of truth, can enjoin the withholding or even distortion of truths. Truths can be horrible, and it can take courage and humility to admit them.

Keywords

truthrealityrepresentationtruthfulnesspractical wisdomstandardexemplartrusttrustworthinessunderstanding

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Chapter
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Attention to Virtues
An Affective Grammar
 , pp. 120 - 140
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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