What's True for You isn't Necessarily True for Me

[flyingmoosestudios]

I know this statement has always been a huge controversial issue for me and several of my friends, and it is because there is so much wrong with the statement.
I'm not saying that none of us are allowed to have our own beliefs--no--I encourage people to think freely and have their own beliefs. However I really wish that people would stop using this statement as a cop-out in debates.
To be honest, this forum is probably the first where I have not seen this statement used in a debate, which I am quite happy to see.
I think the issue I have with the statement is that it implies that whatever way everyone chooses will work out for them, which we all can agree is not true. When it comes down to it, there is only truth, and life as it is will not end in a combination of ways, but will end one way, and when that end comes we will all see the truth. I don't know what that truth is, and neither does anyone else. But one thing that should be acknowledged is that the things we choose to believe are not necessarily the way our lives are going to turn out and we should be very open to other beliefs and such in life.

My favorite example is this: Go jump off a cliff and tell me how true the law of gravity is for you.

Anyway, thoughts? I know this isn't really a debate, but I couldn't think of anywhere better to put it.

[stephen5000]

If we can agree that an objective reality exists, then there is a truth out there. Of course, what we believe doesn't affect what is actually true. Unfortunately we can never really know what is actually true. Science and philosophy can help, but are imperfect. Ultimately we have to believe something, but we should constantly be questioning and updating this belief. As to contrary views on the world: some could be wrong and have devastating effects as a result; but, how do we decide what is true?

[Nakor]

The phrase "What's true for you isn't necessarily true for me" applies to some things and not others. For points of fact -- things that are explicitly true or false -- it doesn't apply at all. Whether or not evolution happened, for example, can't be true for one person and false for another. A person rejecting it doesn't make it untrue for them, it just means they're rejecting the truth. It's a poor stance.

For points of opinion or philosophy this is a bit different. The phrase applies to some extent then, but even then, I hesitate to consider any point of pure philosophy true (or false). Philosophy in this case can refer to religion, yes, but also to anything opinion based such as politics, lifestyles, or even whether or not you think bananas are disgusting (which they totally are).

Opinions can be true for one person and not for another. Facts cannot.

That said, even in a point of opinion, using the phrase is basically a really fancy way of saying "I disagree with your opinion," which is much better stated by just stating that you disagree, and offering your reasons for doing so.

[Deleted]

This is an incredibly interesting question, and I think part of it was too discussed in the topic "Objective or Subjective Ethics".

Anyway, in my opinion the phrase is not true at all. About facts I agree with Nakor. About values, I do think there is an absolute truth, and you can see it in the topic I linked to above. About the opinions in art, I do not know, I need to get deeper into the subject.

[shawa]

I was watching The Big Debate! on Religion in Schools, and a Hindi raised a very good point. He said that "What's true for you isn't necessarily true for me" is just a nicer way of saying "You're wrong, and I'm right, but we'll just leave it".