[HerenIstarion]

With great respect of much common sense and logic displayed in the process, I rather lean to define 'personal truth' of Lalwende's post as 'opinion'.

Remember the murderer and his 'personal truth' of some pages back. I am forced to bring him/her back again, even if it is foricble dragging in of 'real life' into 'bookish' discussion.

For if we stick to the 'personal truth', we loose the right of judgement of any action not by ourselves. If 'personal truth' is what matters, than Nazis (again, mentioned in the previous) were rigth in doing what they've done - their actions were in compliance with their own 'personal truths'. Sauron was right - his 'personal truth' required an order that he only could carry out. Saruman was right, etc, etc. and the whole plot of LoTR degrades down from "Holy War of Good against Evil' down to mere strive for survival, where strongest lives on, taking not fit to the wall. Or, how you judge which 'personal truth' is better? For you will judge it, no doubt about it. Everyone does it on daily basis - Mr. X is better than Mr Y, as the latter beats his wife. But why beating of one;s wife is bad, if 'personal truth' is what matters - surely, Mr Y's 'personal truth' allows for such a behavior?

When one compares something to another thing, he/she inevitably compares both to some standard of 'eternal good', something inherent, built-in. The one which complies more is therefore counted as 'better', any action can be measured against it, and come out more true, less true or as true as some other action.

So, my opinion is as good as yours, and yours as good as mine, if it is only an opinion. Say, I like blue, and you red. Both are equal. But if in pursuit of my warm feeling, I paint your house blue, is it right? My 'personal truth' allowed me to do it. Well, convention tells me that the house belonging to someone else is not mine to pain blue, but if I proclaim that my 'personal truth' does not recognize such a 'bourgeois' and 'Philistine' conventions, and if I insist on my right to paint it blue, I'll end up in jail.

And I would not be able to appeal to justice, for the whole concept of justice is lost if all we have is 'personal truth'. I'd be merely outnumbered by similar 'personal truths' which agreed upon convention that painting other people's houses blue is to be punished by jail sentence.