The Truths We Hold

Seeing Clearly in a Foggy World

In the quiet corners of our minds, truth and bias live side by side. They shape how we see the world, how we argue our point, how we love, and even how we forgive. One seeks clarity; the other seeks comfort—and often, we mistake one for the other. Understanding these forces is not just a matter of philosophy, but a practice in clearer thinking, gentler communication, and deeper self-awareness.

”Between what is true and what we believe to be true lies the entire human condition.”

Philosophers have wrestled with the nature of truth for centuries. Aristotle saw truth as the alignment between thought and reality, while Aquinas refined this idea with the notion that truth is the harmony between intellect and what exists. Later, thinkers like Hegel and Blanshard suggested that truth lies in coherence—the way our beliefs fit together logically. For the pragmatists, like William James and John Dewey, truth was something that worked in practice. They argued that what we call true is often what helps us navigate life successfully. And modern constructivists took the discussion further, reminding us that truth can also be something societies build together through shared language and experience.

Bias, on the other hand, is an ancient trick of the mind. It evolved to help us survive—to make quick judgments in uncertain situations—but it also clouds our perception. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky spent years uncovering how our brains rely on shortcuts that often lead us astray. We tend to confirm what we already believe, anchor our thinking to the first idea we hear, and overvalue what is recent or vivid. These patterns are universal and deeply human.

Bias doesn’t stop at the individual level. Cultures, communities, and systems all carry their own collective biases. We inherit them through stories, education, and institutions that tell us what is normal and what is true. Even when we consciously value fairness, unconscious habits—implicit biases—can still influence our choices. Research has shown how such biases shape hiring, healthcare, and justice, often without anyone’s awareness.

When truth meets bias, the fog thickens. Bias acts like a filter, deciding what we notice and what we ignore. Over time, shared biases can become social realities—entire frameworks of truth that are collectively believed but not necessarily examined. This interplay between truth and bias explains why societies can cling to myths, why institutions resist change, and why personal growth requires uncomfortable honesty.

The antidote isn’t to eliminate bias—that would be impossible—but to become aware of it. Awareness sharpens perception. Practices like mindfulness, journaling, and open dialogue help us notice our mental habits without judgment. Structured decision-making—delaying conclusions, seeking contradictory evidence, and testing assumptions—creates space for clarity. And exposure to diverse voices, ideas, and experiences softens our certainty, reminding us that perspective is always partial.

On a larger scale, awareness must evolve into action. True change happens when we build systems that interrupt bias rather than simply point it out—structures that reward curiosity, accountability, and empathy. This is what philosophers might call epistemic humility: the recognition that our understanding is always incomplete. It’s less about claiming truth and more about learning to see clearly.

”The key lies not in achieving perfect objectivity, but in cultivating epistemic humility—recognizing that our knowledge is always partial and provisional.”

When we combine philosophical insight with psychological research, we begin to bridge two kinds of wisdom—the reflective and the empirical, the soulful and the scientific. To understand truth and bias is to understand how we think, feel, and evolve. Seeing clearly, even for a moment, is one of the quiet joys of being human.

Reflection Prompt: Take a breath. What truths are you holding so tightly that you can no longer see what lies beyond them?

---

Right place, right time, right mindset.

References (Selected)

For further exploration, see the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on theories of truth, McKinsey’s reflection on Daniel Kahneman’s work, and the Urban Institute’s review on implicit bias training.

---

About the Author

Don Sylvester is the creator of Dotish Philosopher, a platform blending philosophy, mindfulness, and modern technology. Drawing from backgrounds in cloud engineering, creative writing, and comparative wisdom traditions, Don explores how systems—both digital and human—can think, feel, and heal with greater awareness.