Duplicate this page before you start, and write all your answers in your own copy.
Last lesson ended with a promise: two of the twelve concepts taken apart properly. Today it is truth, and the reasons we have for thinking something is true.
✍️ Write here, on your own. Do not talk, and do not look at anyone else's answers. For each statement, decide true or false, give your confidence from 1 (a guess) to 5 (certain), and say how you know it. Leave the last column empty for now.
| Statement | True or false? | Confidence (1–5) | How do you know? | Class: how many said true? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We only use about 10% of our brains. | 4 | |||
| The Great Wall of China can be seen from space with the naked eye. | 6 | |||
| Water expands when it freezes. | 10 | |||
| Lightning never strikes the same place twice. | 1 | |||
| An octopus has three hearts. | all | |||
| Napoleon was unusually short. | 11 |
When everyone has finished, your teacher will go through the statements one at a time and ask for a show of hands: who said true? Copy each count into the last column, with the number of people in the room. Do not open the answers until then.
✍️ Write here, before you open the answers: on which statement was the class most united? Does that make you more confident that the class is right about it?
✍️ Write here, on your own.
Take the Great Wall. Lots of people believe it can be seen from space, and perhaps some of you did ten minutes ago. Here are two views about what makes a statement true.
View 1. A statement is true when most people accept it.
View 2. A statement is true when it matches how things actually are, whether or not anybody believes it.
✍️ Write here, on your own.