THY

• Bishop Ruperto C. Santos reminds the faithful to always speak the truth and say what is right
• Speaking the truth is the best way to stop the spread of fake news, particularly in social media
• The country has one of the highest usage of social media in Southeast Asia with 67 percent of its population having access to the Internet
• Perception is real and the truth is not - Imelda Marcos
• St. Thomas Aquinas emphasizes the importance of reason over sentient abilities in seeking what is true
• Types of Soul:

  • Vegetative: Growth, Reproduction
  • Sensient/Sensitive: Senses, Locomotion, Emotions/Feelings
  • Rational: Intellect, Freewill
• Challenges against Truth:

  • Mistakes and saying things that are untrue unintentionally is a falsehood
  • Willful ignorance is when one does not bother to find out if information is correct
  • Lying is telling a falsehood with the intent to deceive
• Post-truth society:

  • Objective facts are less influential than appeals to emotion and personal belief
  • Post-truth involves self-deception and delusion where someone believes an untruth that credible sources would dispute
• Disinformation vs misinformation:

  • Misinformation is incorrect info due to mistakes or errors
  • Disinformation is intentionally manipulated information for less than amicable purposes
• St. Thomas Aquinas' response to post-truth:

  • Control on passions
  • Apply reason
  • Truth telling
• Truth in professional and academic courses:

  • Truth is the product of dialectical discourses, peer review, dialogue
  • Examples include thesis defense, medicine, and vaccine formulation
• Before COVID19, fake news or disinformation was a dangerous epidemic fed by social media and gullible individuals
• Coherence Theory:

  • Holds that truth consists in coherence amongst our beliefs
  • Can rule out radical skepticism and avoid problems of the correspondence theory
• Pragmatic Theory on Truth:

  • Emphasizes the application of truth in practical life
  • "What good is truth if you cannot apply it?"