Universal truth
Meaning
A fundamental concept or principle that is consistently true and accepted by everyone, everywhere, and at all times.
Origin
The human intellect, from its earliest stirrings, has wrestled with the profound question of what is undeniably real. This yearning for a bedrock of certainty, a shared understanding in a chaotic world, birthed the very concept of 'universal truth.' Ancient philosophers, from Plato in Greece to sages across Eastern traditions, embarked on a quest for 'first principles' or 'eternal laws'—fundamental realities believed to hold true for all beings, everywhere, and always, transcending individual perception. The phrase 'universal truth' itself, while not a single coinage, evolved as the linguistic banner for this timeless, cross-cultural pursuit, capturing humanity's enduring desire to identify those few, immutable facts that govern existence itself.
Examples
- The idea that all living things eventually die is often considered a universal truth.
- While many philosophers debate its existence, the pursuit of a universal truth continues to drive scientific inquiry.