“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true.”

The above statement is a classic definition of truth and falsehood often attributed to Aristotle, a famous ancient Greek philosopher. Like the ‘theory of truth’, It outlines a basic principle for determining the truth or falsity of statements. Let me break it down for you:

Part 1: “To say of what is that it is not…”

This part means that if you make a false statement about something that exists, it is considered false. In other words, claiming something exists when it doesn’t is false.

Example: You have a red car in your driveway. If someone says, “There is no red car in your driveway,” this statement is false because there is indeed a red car in your driveway.

Part 2: “…or of what is not that it is…”

This part means that if you make a false statement about something that does not exist, it is also considered false. So, claiming something exists when it actually doesn’t is false.

Example: Suppose you live in a city with no public parks, and someone says, “There is a public park in our city,” this statement is false because there are no public parks in your city.

Part 3: “…is false…”

These first two parts together establish that making false claims about the existence or non-existence of things is considered falsehood.

Part 4: “…while to say of what is that it is…”

This part suggests that if you make an accurate statement about something that exists, it is considered true. In other words, correctly stating the existence of something is true.

Example: If you have a cat, and you say, “I have a cat,” this statement is true because you are accurately describing the existence of your cat.

Part 5: “…and of what is not that it is not…”

This part suggests that if you make an accurate statement about something that does not exist, it is also considered true. In other words, correctly stating the non-existence of something is true.

Example: Imagine someone claims that there are no elephants in their apartment. If there are indeed no elephants in their apartment, their statement is true because it accurately describes the non-existence of elephants there.

Part 6: “…is true.”

These last two parts together establish that making accurate statements about the existence or non-existence of things is considered truth.

In summary, this statement provides a foundational principle for determining truth and falsehood. It states that accurately representing the existence or non-existence of things leads to truth, while making false claims about the existence or non-existence of things results in falsehood. This Statement is clarifying the distinction between what is real and fake, truth and falsehood, and emphasizing that one’s perception or saying does not make things reality until they actually are.