"Context is all" according to Margaret Atwood. Does that mean there is no such thing as truth in the Trayvon Martin case?
In class, it seems to me that the statement at the center of our profound discussions following Trayvon Martin's death was "Perception is all". However, both of these ("Context is all" from the question posed and "Perception is all") are quantifiers indicating an absolute, "all", and this makes them questionable.
In the first picture above is smiling Trayvon Martin at the age of fifteen (left). Next is Trayvon at the age of 17 (right). Directly above, there is the same picture of fifteen-year-old Trayvon, here next to George Zimmerman (who is wearing the orange color which reminds of prisoners). With our Ways of Knowing at work, Emotion in particular, it is hard to objectively focus on what appears to be the "Truth".
A dictionary definition for "truth is "the quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality", however, this is incomplete.
According to the "Theory of Knowledge" textbook, we can look at three different theories of truth: the Correspondence Theory, the Coherence Theory, and the Pragmatic Theory.
Correspondence Theory
"According to the correspondence theory", as the book explains, "a statement is true if it corresponds to a fact". This is straight forward as it seems to be our definition of "true". In the article "Hoodies, Trayvon Martin, and America's Racial Fears" by Robin Givhan, the author clearly shows an example of the Correspondence Theory. Givhan states "nothing will change the terrible fact that an unarmed African-American teenager was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer who is Hispanic". Although her article is focused primarily on race and rational conflict within the Trayvon Martin Case, she puts all the cards on the table when she states true, factual, evidence.
Coherence Theory
"According to the coherence theory of truth, a proposition is true if it fits in with our overall set of beliefs." Now the question that needs to be asked is: is there only one belief system in Sanford, Florida? in the whole of the United States? in the rest of the world? I believe the answer is 'no', definitely, as in today's globalized world, it is highly likely that you and your neighbor next door have completely different systems of belief. Early in their article, "The Truth About 'Stand Your Ground' Laws", Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski affirm that "Stand Your Ground laws did not apply in that situation, and statements to the contrary are irresponsible and misinformed". Personally, their argument seems appealing and reasonable however I, and anyone other than the authors, cannot say with certitude that is 100% 'true', yet, as the title of the article indicates, this is meant to be "The Truth About 'Stand Your Ground' Laws".
Pragmatic Theory
"According to the pragmatic theory of truth, a proposition is true if it is useful or works in practice." This is were the issue comes in when there are two opossing sides to one story as evidence can be classified as 'true' or 'false' according to self-interest, and appeals for the use of Reason. Thereof, truth is manipulate at will, nonetheless, this doesn't not mean that "there is no such thing as truth in Trayvon Martin case" as Margaret Atwood argues, but in the contrary, some evidence is always true, and other evidence has the potential to be truth.
