TST Trainer
WWB Takeaways
MODE:
~
5 minutes
of takeaways.
Epistemology.
10 random takeaways.
1.
In TST, words are classified by function, not spelling. Cat is empirical when it names a real animal. Root is empirical in a tree, but rational in math. Even empirical sentences use rational words for structure. The key question is simple: what is the word doing?
2.
Quote:
- Bernard of Chartres.
- circa 1130 CE.
This speaks to the power of cultural transmission. While animals teach their young, humans alone possess the transcendental intelligence to record, describe, and write down ideas. This ability allows knowledge to endure across generations, transcending time and space, building on past wisdom to shape our future.
3.
Your mind categorizes topics into frameworks. It also cross references the common schemas of them. Things like sin, honor, and discipline apply to many topics. Your personal frameworks and schemas make up your worldview. They turn scattered information into usable understanding. Good frameworks help you sort truth from belief, weak ideas from strong ones, and confidence from confusion. A wise mind is not just full of facts. It is organized well enough to compare, question, and rank what it knows.
4.
Quote:
- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
- 1922.
Linguistic skepticism is the idea that language cannot fully represent what we experience. In contrast, epistemological skepticism is the broader notion that humans can never fully understand reality, whether due to cognitive limitations, the existence of other realms, or other fundamental constraints.
5.
Utilitarianism focuses primarily on maximizing happiness and minimizing suffering. TST Ethics goes further. While harm matters, it is not the only metric. Intent, virtue, preservation of life, and structural stability also carry weight. Moral decisions are not solved by a single calculation but require layered evaluation and responsible adjustment over time.
6.
Quote:
- Michael Alan Prestwood.
- 2024.
Every person walks through life with a personal lens shaped by experience, belief, and knowledge. Recognizing you have a worldview — and that everyone else does too — is the first step toward understanding, empathy, and clearer thinking. Once you see your own lens, you can finally adjust it.
7.
If math refers to the real patterns and relations built into reality, then it was discovered. If it refers to the symbols, notation, and systems of thought used to describe those patterns, then it was invented. In TST terms, the structure belongs to the Material World, while mathematics as a formal language belongs to the realm of Ideas.
8.
Quote:
- Karl Popper.
- 1963.
From History:
Popper reminds us that knowledge expands while ignorance remains vast. This does not weaken truth — it strengthens humility. We refine our models through testing and revision, increasing confidence as alignment improves. Intellectual maturity means holding beliefs proportionally, not absolutely.
9.
The TST Theory of Truth states that reality is not negotiable. Our descriptions are. Truth happens when a proposition aligns with how things actually are — not when it feels coherent, useful, or widely accepted. Coherence constrains thinking. Pragmatism tests survival. But correspondence anchors everything. We aim at the world; we do not create it.
10.
Quote:
- Socrates.
- 399 BCE.
The essence of the phrase “I know that I know nothing” originates from Plato’s Apology, where Socrates reflects on his reputation for wisdom. While not a direct quote, Plato attributes to Socrates the idea that true wisdom comes from recognizing one’s own ignorance. Socrates argues that he is wiser than those who falsely believe they possess knowledge, a lesson that has since become central to philosophical discussions on knowledge and humility.
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(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
