Does Objective Truth Exist?
Introduction
One of the most powerful ideas shaping modern culture is this:
“There is no absolute truth.”
It is often expressed more gently:
“Everyone has their own truth.”
“What’s true for you may not be true for me.”
“Morality depends on perspective.”
These statements sound tolerant and modest. They appear to reduce conflict and encourage openness.
But they carry serious consequences.
If truth is not objective, then everything else — morality, dignity, law, faith — becomes unstable.
Before we speak about Christ, the Church, or morality, we must ask a foundational question:
Does objective truth exist?
1. What Is Truth?
Truth is the correspondence between mind and reality.
If something is true, it reflects the way things actually are.
For example:
Water boils at a certain temperature.
A triangle has three sides.
Two contradictory statements cannot both be true in the same sense.
These are not personal preferences. They describe reality.
Most people accept objective truth in mathematics and science.
The difficulty arises when truth moves into the moral and religious sphere.
It is here that relativism takes hold.
2. What Is Relativism?
Relativism claims that truth — especially moral truth — depends on the individual or the culture.
According to this view:
There are no universal moral standards.
Right and wrong change over time.
Moral judgement is essentially personal preference.
Relativism often arises from good intentions:
A desire to avoid conflict.
A reaction against authoritarianism.
An awareness that people disagree.
But disagreement does not eliminate truth.
People disagree about history, science, and politics. That does not mean those fields lack objective facts.
The existence of disagreement does not prove the absence of truth.
3. The Logical Problem with Relativism
Relativism undermines itself.
If someone says:
“There is no objective moral truth,”
we must ask:
Is that statement objectively true?
If it is objectively true, then at least one objective truth exists — which contradicts the claim.
If it is not objectively true, then it is merely personal opinion and need not be taken seriously.
Relativism attempts to deny objective truth while asserting it.
It cannot stand consistently.
4. Moral Intuition and Universal Judgement
Consider certain actions:
Torture of the innocent.
Deliberate betrayal.
Exploitation of children.
We do not simply dislike these actions.
We judge them.
We say they are wrong.
Not wrong-for-me.
Not wrong-in-this-culture.
Wrong.
If morality were purely relative, we could not condemn such acts universally.
But we do.
Human rights language itself assumes objective moral truth.
If dignity is real, it is not granted by culture. It is recognised by culture.
Relativism weakens the very moral convictions it claims to protect.
5. The Appeal of Relativism
Relativism persists because it is comfortable.
If moral truth is objective:
I am accountable.
My choices have weight.
Conscience must be formed.
If morality is relative:
No one may challenge me.
My judgement is final.
Responsibility feels lighter.
But comfort is not the same as truth.
Relativism often functions less as a philosophical position and more as a cultural habit.
It reduces moral seriousness in favour of social ease.
6. Truth and Human Dignity
Catholic teaching insists that moral truth is grounded in the nature of the human person.
If human beings are created in the image of God:
They possess intrinsic dignity.
They cannot be reduced to objects.
Their lives cannot be treated as disposable.
This dignity is not invented by law.
It precedes law.
Without objective truth, dignity becomes negotiable.
History shows what happens when dignity is treated as relative.
The Church defends objective moral truth not to dominate culture, but to protect the vulnerable.
Truth safeguards the weak from the power of the strong.
7. Truth and Charity
Affirming objective truth does not require aggression.
Truth and charity are not opposites.
To deny truth in the name of kindness ultimately harms both.
If something is harmful, calling it good does not make it good.
If something damages the soul, ignoring that reality is not mercy.
Love seeks the good of the other.
That requires clarity about what is truly good.
8. The Consequences of Denying Truth
When objective truth is denied:
Law becomes negotiation of power.
Conscience becomes isolated preference.
Education becomes transmission of opinion.
Faith becomes optional sentiment.
Public discourse fragments.
Moral confidence weakens.
Anxiety increases, because there is no stable foundation.
Relativism promises peace, but produces uncertainty.
9. Why This Matters for Faith
If truth does not exist, then:
Christ’s claims cannot be objectively true.
The Resurrection becomes symbolic.
The Church’s teaching becomes advisory only.
Moral teaching becomes optional.
Everything becomes preference.
Christianity stands or falls on the claim that truth is real.
Christ did not say:
“I express my truth.”
He said:
“I am the truth.”
If truth is real, it can be known — though imperfectly.
And if it can be known, it can guide life.
Conclusion
The question of truth is not abstract.
It shapes:
How we raise children.
How we form conscience.
How we approach morality.
How we understand salvation.
Relativism may appear tolerant, but it erodes moral foundations.
The Catholic faith insists that truth is not invented.
It is discovered.
It corresponds to reality.
And because God is the source of reality, truth ultimately leads to Him.
Reflection Questions
Do I assume moral truth is relative without examining the assumption?
Do I avoid difficult moral clarity in order to maintain comfort?
Am I willing to let truth challenge me?
Closing Prayer
Lord,
You are the source of all truth.
Guard my mind from confusion.
Strengthen my reason.
Help me love truth
and live according to it.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 