Truth is reality’s anchor that lets us know where we are, where we’re going, and when we are lost. It enables trust and responsibility. It restrains power and supports justice. It is not the same as certainty and can be lost to opinion. Without truth we lose facts but also our orientation.

Finding the truth requires a bit of skepticism to filter bias, external persuasion, and social pressure. It intervenes before belief to ask “How do we know this?”. To get to the truth, look for evidence not certainty, emotion or repetition. A claim of truth, delivered with confidence reflects a style. Evidence is the substance of truth.
To find truth, identify assumptions wrapped in the claims and the facts rather than interpretation of the facts.

We have a full bag of truth tests to examine, 250 years after we declared independence from the king (August 2, 1776).

Here are Three Claims
Claim: MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccines cause autism? Wrong: RFK This has been studied for more than twenty years with millions of children and the evidence has been consistently negative. The claim came from a single flawed paper in 1998 that suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The study had methodological and ethical flaws and was fully retracted. The available evidence supports the truth that the vaccine does not cause autism
Claim: Somali Immigrants in Minnesota “are people that do nothing but complain.” Wrong: DJT Somali immigrants have significantly contributed to Minnesota’s economy, culture, and politics by revitalizing neighborhoods, starting numerous businesses (especially in retail and food), filling crucial labor market needs in healthcare, and electing prominent officials like Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, bolstering the civic fabric, and contributing significantly in taxes and economic output, shaping the Twin Cities into a vibrant hub of the Somali diaspora.
Claim: being kind is worth the cost. It feels right.

A Simple Test
1) What evidence supports the claim?
2) What is being claimed?
3) What would change your mind?

If there is no answer to #3, you have an opinion, not truth. The ability to separate truth from opinion isn’t just intellectual. It is a form of self-defense.