What is truth?
by W. D. Wattles (1860–1911)
- Free to read
- 25 min read
- 7 chapters
- Reading level: 8th & 9th grade
"What is truth? by W. D. Wattles" is a metaphysical-philosophical treatise written in the early 20th century. It explores the nature of reality—time, space, substance, consciousness, motion—and argues that a single conscious, divine substance underlies all things, shaping the world through will; its central topic is how aligning with this reality leads to human health and abundance. The book proceeds step by step: time and space are real, boundless frameworks; the many “materials” are forms of one fluid substance that can become solid or ethereal by pressure and motion. Consciousness belongs to substance itself, not to empty space or mere brain activity; in humans it can expand toward completeness. Motion is substance shifting in space and time, and every “force” reduces to pressure of substance—there is no attraction across a vacuum. The origin of motion is the will of Original Conscious Substance (God), whose will-pressure produces light, heat, gravity, and chemical affinity, and whose motive is the happiness of all. Man, as conscious substance in a human form, can cooperate with this will; by persistently recognizing divine life and abundance—through affirmation, prayer, and alignment—he becomes whole in health and supplied in all needs, while the habitual recognition of disease or lack perpetuates them.
- Essays
- Philosophy
- New Thought
Read the opening
Chapter I
A BALLOON GOES UP; A STONE FALLS TO EARTH; WHY? ONE FORCE IN
NATURE—G R A V I T Y.
The science of theology and medicine are necessarily very closely allied, both having to do with the saving of men from the consequences of wrong living; and it follows that in religion and medicine we are always seeking for realities; searching the truth; seeking the ultimate, spiritual and physical facts upon which to base our theories, and from which to proceed in making our demonstrations of health and wholeness. And since our demonstrations must and will be complete or incomplete just in proportion to the completeness of our grasp of the realities, the importance of the search for truth becomes apparent; the very first thing we have to do is to penetrate through all the appearances of life, and ascertain the differences between what is really true and what is only apparently true; for there is often a vast difference between the appearance and the reality. The sun appears to rise and set, and to go around the earth; but it does not. A balloon goes up; and a stone falls to the earth; in appearance there are two forces at work, but in reality there is only one—gravity. The reality behind the going up of the balloon and the coming down of the stone is the same. And to seek for the realities behind the appearances of life; behind its goings up and comings down, its goings out and comings in,—that is science, and that is what we are going to try to do.
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About this edition
This free edition of What is truth? by W. D. Wattles comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #76483, released 2025-07-11. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Philosophy & Ethics, Religion/Spirituality.
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