Literature Review

Resonance of Truth

Madison Martin

British Literature
Mark Lindow
April 9th, 2015

Introduction

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The subject of truth is broad and varied. There are many different ideas about what the
definition of truth is and how it should be applied to a persons life. Numerous theories exist that
attempt to explain the concept of truth. I have chosen three philosophers with differing theories
to explore this concept more deeply.
David Henry Thoreau

Thoreau, Henry D. Walden. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1910. Google Books. Web.
7 Apr. 2015.
Haselhurst, Geoff. "Henry David Thoreau." Transcendental Philosophy: Quotes on Civil
Disobedience. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.
David Henry Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer who lived from 1817 to 1862. One
of his most well known works, Walden, was written in the woods of a secluded lake. Thoreau
went here because he felt that the environment would allow him to discover the meaning of life,
and become aware of the truths entwined in the world around him.
Because of the reason for which Thoreau was writing Walden, the language used to get
his message across is very philosophical and naturalistic. Thoreau wrote down the thoughts that
came to him while he was immersed in surroundings filled with abundant flora and fauna. To
Thoreau, nature in itself was a kind of truth. He reflects the details of his discoveries through
vivid visual descriptions and almost audible self dialogue.
Thoreau reasoned that truth was timeless. He called it an immortal dealing, meaning that
the things that are really true wont change with time. He also expresses the belief that truth is
divinity revealed. This implies that a higher being exists as the embodiment of truth (Thoreau,
130).
Living in the woods required Thoreau to live a fairly self-sustaining life. He grew his own
garden. He had the idea that truth is like a seed, and should be sown throughout the land
through interactions with the people we meet. By taking time to be considerate and

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compassionate towards fellow man, the world will be able to slow down and appreciate the
truths of life that surround them (Thoreau, 217).
Yet another idea that Thoreau expresses in Walden is the idea of individuality. One
persons truth may not be the same as another persons truth. He describes this using an
analogy of each person moving to the beat of a drum. However, each person may hear a
different beat. Whatever beat that person hears is the beat that they should follow in order to
stay true to themselves. They should not be striving towards another persons rhythm, or else
they would be pursuing another persons truth, and therefore would be living in a false reality
(Thoreau, 430).
Lastly, Thoreau valued truth over love, money or fame. He sought simplicity and
understanding of the truths and realities of the world (Thoreau, 436). Each persons truth may
be different, but the revelation of these truths, in the opinion of Thoreau, can always be found in
nature.
Mahatma Gandhi

Bharathi, K. S. "Chapter 3: Ethical Thought of Gandhi and Vinoba." Thoughts of

Gandhi and Vinoba. New Delhi, India: Concept, 1995. 56-64. Google Books. Web. 6
Apr. 2015.
Mahatma Gandhi was an ambassador of peace who lived from 1869 to 1948. He was a
lawyer in the early years of his life, and is most well known for his promotion of non-violence.
This book is written from the perspective of a third person. It is exploring the moral views of
Gandhi and also another person, Vinoba. The writing style is very clear, and the author does a
very good job of distinguishing which persons views he is writing about.
Gandhi believed that the definition of truth was God. His main philosophy of satyagraha
relies on the interpretation that truth means that which is. In this sense, truth is something
eternal.

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Gandhi believed that each person should be willing to sacrifice themselves for the
preservation of truth. People should avoid practicing deception, in any form, at all costs.
Because of the gravity of this proposal, Gandhi also believed that fearlessness and truth are
closely linked. It takes courage and bravery to stand up for truth. It can be difficult to go against
what everyone else is doing. By remaining honest, vowing to be non-violent, and controlling
selfish desires, one is more able to fully realize what truth is.
Karl Popper

Wetterston, John R. "Karl Popper: Critical Rationalism." Internet Encyclopedia of

Philosophy. Mannheim University, Germany, 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.
Karl Popper was a man who studied the psychology of science. He lived from 1902 to
1994. Popper was influenced by non-justification theories. These theories basically express the
idea that scientific knowledge, or any knowledge really, can never be proven. Theories will
remain theories, and can never be made into absolute, completely proven truths. Popper
reached this conclusion by narrowing down the only two ways that a statement could be
deemed true: one, through the proof of a theory, and two, through the refutation of a theory.
Since Popper already believe the proof of a theory to be impossible, he argued that to find the
truth in a theory one must prove that it is false, first.
Popper also believed that sentences must be evaluated individually. Each sentence can
be given a truth value. On the one side, a sentence can be universally true, but on the other
side, it can be proven wrong. This wrong sentence Popper called a fiction. This term was only
used by Popper in his early exploration of truth in science.
Popper also searched for the truth in how knowledge could be expanded. Knowledge
could only be grown, according to Popper, through the accumulation of information that was
confirmed as refutable, or false. The danger in this philosophy is that all knowledge would really
just be a collection of knowing everything that isnt rather than uncovering everything that is.

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However, Popper did not see this side of the coin, or if he did, the author does not go into detail
on Poppers views on this foreseeable danger.