Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus: truth is the adequacy between the thing and the intellect. It is the classic definition of truth, formulated by Aristotle and developed by Thomas Aquinas.
The translation
In direct language: a thought is true when it corresponds to reality. If I say that that is a book and that is in fact a book, my mind has conformed to the thing, and that is the truth. It's called correspondence theory.
This presupposes something decisive: that reality exists independently of us and that our mind is capable of reaching it. Not perfectly, not all at once, but really. The truth is not constructed by the mind, it is discovered by it.
Realism and idealism
Historically there are two major positions on truth. realism says that truth is the conformity of the mind with known reality, the position of Aristotle, classical philosophy and Thomas Aquinas. Modern idealism, especially since Hegel, shifts truth to the internal logical coherence of thought.
Classical philosophy remains with moderate realism: we do not create reality by thinking, we discover the truth through contact with it.
Why does this matter
This definition is what prevents the philosophical attitude from dissolving into relativism. If "each person has their own truth", then the phrase "everything is relative" would also be just relative, and denies itself. Truth belongs to no one: it is the criterion by which all opinions are measured.
The question "what is truth?" permeates all philosophy. See where it is born, in philosophical attitude, and continue through our recommended readings.
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See recommended readingsFrequently asked questions
What does veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus mean?
It is the Latin formula for the classical definition of truth: truth is the adequacy between the thing (res) and the intellect. A thought is true when it corresponds to reality.
Whose definition of truth is this?
It comes from Aristotle and was developed by Thomas Aquinas. It is the so-called correspondence theory, central to classical, or perennial, philosophy.
Is this the same thing as relativism?
It's the opposite. If truth corresponds to a reality that exists independently of us, then it is not constructed by each person. The relativist has his opinion, not his truth.
Continue: What is the philosophical attitude · Plato's dialogue Meno · The origin of the words reason and faith
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