Fact vs. Truth: What's the Difference?

Posted to: Facts

We throw around the words "fact" and "truth" all the time, but they're not the same thing. A fact is something solid and provable like, "water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level." No matter what you believe, it's just the way it is. Facts don't care about opinions or personal experiences. They're the things you can measure, test, and confirm.

Truth is how we interpret the facts based on what we've been through, what we believe, or how we're feeling. Take a storm, for example. The fact is, it's coming. But for one person, the truth might be, "Ugh, I hate storms!" while someone else is thinking, "Finally, some rain for the garden." It's about the meaning we attach to those facts.

It's very important to understand the difference. Facts give us the basics, but truth helps us connect with each other's experiences. When we get this, it's easier to handle disagreements, stay curious, and see where someone else is coming from.

Whatevo @whatevo
1mo ago

Yes. A lot of the problem today is many people accept opinion as fact and run with it, no matter how convoluted it may be. Hearsay becomes fact. Headlines become fact, although many are designed to be misinterpreted, misinform, and cause outrage, all for clicks and attention.

@whatevo Emotion gets in the way and people have a hard time accepting actual fact if it doesn't fit their narrative.

@whatevo And, unfortunately, live in a system that perpetuates these mindsets and behaviors by continuing with business as usual. I feel as though a lot of what we're seeing, specifically on social media platforms, are bad faith arguments created with the sole intention of driving more engagement to posts and discussions. Science post engagement is through the roof. How many "flat earth" comments are actually real vs. troll? It doesn't matter whether they believe it or not. It gets people to engage.