Veritas vincit
Sir: Professor Dawkins eloquently and engagingly defines true truth for us (‘Matters of fact’, 19 December). It seems to me that ‘true’ is a poor little four-letter word with a heavier workload than is reasonable. Historic truth may include ascertainable facts, which I suppose he would pass, but combined with conclusions based on available evidence or ‘true-to-life’ conjecture. Theological truth combines historic fact with unassailable moral principle and a journey of imagination beyond the reach of experience. It cannot be called untrue — only unproven.
Perhaps we need to find a word with more gravitas than ‘truth’ for the scientists. I suggest ‘veritas’ — as found in vino.
Charles Keen
Marshfield, Chippenham
Tu and thou
Sir: Tim Hudson (Letters, 19 December) wonders why French uses the informal second person singular for God, but the formal second person plural for the Virgin Mary. Other Latin-based languages which also use the plural to indicate formality do the same thing.
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