Self-evident

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1.20

Thomas Reid insisted that there exist aspects of life that:

1. Are universally true - except for lunatics and philosophers;

2. Cannot be affected by logic or reason or argument;

3. Are instinctive to the way that our minds work.

These he called First Principles. Not surprisingly philosophers were not flattered! John Hume, in particular, objected - as have his disciples through the ages including AJ Ayer. The gainsayers contend that there are no such certainties and that nothing can be taken for granted, despite the fact that their own behaviour suggests otherwise.

One could say that what might be dismissed as an academic controversy actually represents the current public discourse surrounding truth: whether it is absolute or relative. Western society is obsessed with choice and so prefers Hume's idea of relative truth: I have my truth, you have yours. The Christian faith insists that only Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life". They cannot both be right.