Is a Statement True?

The Reasons To Consider Context Before Answering That Question

Un­der­stand­ing con­text is es­sen­tial to un­der­stand­ing the truth concerning any issue. Con­text refers to the circum­stances, con­di­tions and en­vi­ron­ment in which some­thing ex­ists or oc­curs. It is the back­ground against which some­thing is ex­pe­ri­enced or in­ter­pret­ed. With­out con­text, it is im­pos­si­ble to ful­ly com­pre­hend the mean­ing of any state­ment, ac­tion or event. It is often the case then, in order to grasp the circumstances of an event, we may be required to suspend belief. Or at least the belief we hold about how we arrived at a conclusion.

Con­text pro­vides the frame­work for in­ter­pre­ta­tion. The mean­ing of a statement or ac­tion can vary de­pend­ing on the con­text in which it is made. For ex­am­ple, the state­ment “I hate you” can be in­ter­pret­ed dif­fer­ent­ly de­pend­ing on the con­text. If it is said in the heat of an ar­gu­ment, it may be a tem­po­rary ex­pres­sion of anger. How­ev­er, if it is said re­peat­ed­ly over a long pe­ri­od, it may in­di­cate a deep-seat­ed re­sent­ment. With­out un­der­stand­ing the con­text in which the state­ment is made, it is im­pos­si­ble to de­ter­mine its true mean­ing.

The in­ter­pre­ta­tion of his­tor­i­cal events de­pends on the con­text in which those events oc­curred. For ex­am­ple, the Amer­i­can Rev­o­lu­tion can be seen as a heroic strug­gle for free­dom or as a vi­o­lent re­bel­lion against le­git­i­mate au­thor­i­ty. The inter­pre­ta­tion of the event also de­pends on the con­text in which it is viewed. Un­der­standing the po­lit­i­cal, so­cial and eco­nom­ic con­di­tions of the time is nec­es­sary to un­derstand the mo­ti­va­tions and ac­tions of the peo­ple in­volved.

We can see this same need for context to understand the people who were involved with January 6. Without understanding how confusing it had to have been for them to be wrong about what should have been right is truly disconcerting. But the context of what they had heard was being hidden from them by the very man they thought they had to protect. To look further into the context of what took place before and after that day we have to also have the context of how callously their Master has treated them since. He kind of hung them out to dry. That one contextual fact shines a telling light on the folly those poor folks were sold.

The con­text in which an event takes place pro­vides a ba­sis for com­par­i­son to and with other events. For example, to de­ter­mine the truth of a state­ment, it is of­ten nec­es­sary to com­pare it to oth­er state­ments or facts. How­ev­er, with­out con­text, it is im­pos­si­ble to make mean­ing­ful com­par­isons. For ex­am­ple, the state­ment “The earth is flat” may seem ab­surd to­day, but it was wide­ly be­lieved for cen­turies. With­out un­der­stand­ing the his­tor­i­cal con­text in which the state­ment was made, it is im­pos­si­ble to ap­pre­ci­ate the sig­nif­i­cance of the state­ment. It is necessary to understand that the science of the times did not have enough information to have what we would now call sci­en­tif­ic knowl­edge.

Un­der­stand­ing the con­text of a state­ment or ac­tion is nec­es­sary to com­pare it to oth­er state­ments or ac­tions made by the same per­son or group. For ex­am­ple, a politi­cian may make a state­ment that seems con­tra­dic­to­ry to their pre­vious state­ments. How­ev­er, with­out un­der­stand­ing the con­text in which the statement was made, it is im­pos­si­ble to de­ter­mine whether it rep­re­sents a change in po­si­tion or a mis­un­der­stand­ing of the is­sue. I mean can anyone determine what Georgie Mitty means when he says anything? Can anyone determine what Kevin means when he says he sent a budget to the White House? Can anyone determine what Margie means when she speaks about anything? What is all that arrogant anger about and what is she trying to say with it? Anyone have any ideas?

Con­text pro­vides a ba­sis for eval­u­a­tion. To de­ter­mine the truth of a state­ment or ac­tion, it is of­ten nec­es­sary to eval­u­ate it against a set of cri­te­ria. Howev­er, with­out con­text, it is im­pos­si­ble to de­ter­mine the ap­pro­pri­ate cri­te­ria for evalu­a­tion. For ex­am­ple, the state­ment “I am a good per­son” may seem true on the surface, but with­out un­der­stand­ing the con­text in which it is made, it is im­pos­si­ble to de­ter­mine whether it is true or false. What does it mean to be a good per­son? What cri­te­ria should be used to eval­u­ate the state­ment? Are there time limits as to when good person applies, like when you’re with friends? But not with parents? Unrelated question, but are the girls who hang out by a bar in the late evening and wee early hours of morning good or bad? Doesn’t it depend on how bad she is?

The context of a state­ment or ac­tion is nec­es­sary to eval­u­ate it against a set of eth­i­cal or moral stan­dards. For ex­am­ple, the state­ment “Those girls out on the corner are bad women” may seem rea­son­able in some con­texts, but in oth­ers, it may be seen as a vi­o­la­tion of hu­man rights. With­out un­der­stand­ing the con­text in which the state­ment is made, it is im­pos­si­ble to de­ter­mine whether it is con­sis­tent with eth­i­cal or moral prin­ci­ples, whatever those nebulous concept may be.

Consider that con­text pro­vides a ba­sis for em­pa­thy. To un­der­stand the truth of a state­ment or ac­tion, it is of­ten nec­es­sary to put one­self in the shoes of the per­son mak­ing the state­ment or tak­ing the ac­tion. How­ev­er, with­out un­der­stand­ing the con­text in which the state­ment or ac­tion is made, it is im­pos­si­ble to ap­pre­ci­ate the per­spec­tive of the per­son in­volved. For ex­am­ple, a per­son may make a state­ment that seems in­sen­si­tive or of­fen­sive. How­ev­er, with­out context it is im­pos­si­ble to ap­pre­ci­ate the per­son’s background, ex­pe­ri­ences, or in­ten­tions. By way of example I think we’ve probably all seen YouTube videos of a Karen in action. We only see the expression of the moment a given Karen is filmed being Karen. We have no idea what “set her off.” Clearly such people have too much stress in their lives and just can not handle it. Who hasn’t been there and done that?

It’s necessary to understand the con­text of a state­ment or ac­tion to em­pathize with the ex­pe­ri­ences of oth­ers. For ex­am­ple, a per­son may make a state­ment that seems racist or sex­ist. How­ev­er, with­out un­der­stand­ing the his­tor­i­cal and cul­tur­al con­text in which the state­ment was made, it is im­pos­si­ble to ap­pre­ciate the im­pact of the state­ment on the peo­ple listening to it. Perhaps the best example of this kind of contextual clarification is what Tucker wrote about white men. He may or may not have actually written that note but whether he did or not when I read that in the context of other things he has said I think I know the truth of how racist that particular man is.

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