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Relative truth is what we experience as truth as we observe it. Each of us has a vantage point (perspective). Imagine standing still near a railroad track. A speeding train approaches and starts to sound its horn. At first, the pitch of the horn is low, and it gets higher, and louder, as the train approaches then lower as it passes. Is there something in the horn that causes it to change pitch? No. The horn blows at a consistent frequency, say 100 Hz. The only time you hear the most exact pitch is when the train passes you. The farther the train horn is from you the lower it sounds because the distance between the sounds waves gets closer together as the horn approaches and farther apart as the train moves past. You might know this as the Doppler effect.

In this episode of the Spirit of Leading, I discuss truth in relation to the vantage point of the individual observer in relation to the larger truth, its context. It reminds us that any truth we experience must be considered in its large context, and they must support each other. Think of applications of this principle as you listen.

Related links

The Doppler effect 

Video explanation of the Doppler effect.

Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

Galileo Galilea and his conflict with the Roman Catholic Church