Veritas is the name given to the Roman virtue of truthfulness, which was considered one of the main virtues any good Roman should possess. The Greek goddess of truth is Aletheia ( Ancient Greek: ). The German philosopher

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centur ...

argues that the truth represented by ''aletheia'' (which essentially means "unconcealment") is different from that represented by ''veritas'', which is linked to a Roman understanding of rightness and finally to a Nietzschean sense of justice and a will to power. In Roman mythology, Veritas (), meaning Truth, is the

Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

of Truth, a daughter of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

(called

Cronus In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or , from el, Κρόνος, ''Krónos'') was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans, the divine descendants of the primordial Gaia (Mother Earth) and ...

by the Greeks, the

Titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...

of Time, perhaps first by Plutarch), and the mother of Virtus. She is also sometimes considered the daughter of Jupiter (called Zeus by the Greeks), or a creation of Prometheus. The elusive goddess is said to have hidden in the bottom of a holy well. She is depicted both as a virgin dressed in white and as the "naked truth" (''nuda veritas'') holding a hand mirror. In Western culture, the word may also serve as a motto.

Mottos

This Latin word "''veritas''" now appears in the mottos of many colleges, universities and other diverse organizations. It is typically capitalized in mottoes (as "''Veritas''") for being an ideal (such as: Truth, Kindness and Beauty). ''Veritas'' is the motto of Harvard University, Hutchesons' Grammar School, The University of Western Ontario, Drake University, Knox College (Illinois),

Bilkent University Bilkent University ( tr, Bilkent Üniversitesi) is a private university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by Prof. İhsan Doğramacı in 1984, with the aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research. It is constan ...

, the University of California - Hastings College of the Law, as well as the Dominican Order of the Roman Catholic Church, and

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

and Molloy College which is run by the Dominicans. "Veritas" is also the motto of Loyola College, Ibadan in Nigeria. Loyola College was established by the Roman Catholic Church and named for St. Ignatius of Loyola. Additionally, the word appears in mottoes that are phrases, or lists e.g. the Buckley School of the City of New York employs the phrase ''Honor et Veritas'', the University of Indonesia's motto is "Veritas, Probitas, Iustitia", the University of Cape Coast in Ghana's motto is "Veritas Nobis Lumen", the University of Michigan's motto is: "Artes, Scientia, Veritas". Doshisha University in Kyoto,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

's motto is " Veritas Liberabit Vos". " Veritas vos liberabit" ("The Truth Will Set You Free") is the motto of The Johns Hopkins University and St Thomas' College (Autonomous), Thrissur, the first Catholic college in Kerala. ''Verbum Tuum Veritas'' ("Your Word is Truth") is the motto of

Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...

Caldwell College Caldwell University is a private Catholic university in Caldwell, New Jersey. Founded in 1939 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, the university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, chartered by the State of New Jersey ...

Caldwell, New Jersey Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City and north-west of Newark, the state's most populous city. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population ...

issues a "Veritas Award" each year in honor of the Dominican Sisters who founded and administer the college. "Veritas" is included in the motto of Indiana University and Yale University, ''Lux et Veritas'' ("Light and Truth"). It also appears on the California State University's motto ''Vox Veritas Vita'' ("Speak the Truth as a way of Life"). ''Veritas Curat'' ("Truth Cures") is the motto of the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, a medical school in Puducherry, India. Howard University, in Washington, D.C., goes by the motto "Veritas et Utilitas", translated to "Truth and Service", which is also a motto "Truth-Service" of Payap University, Thailand. It also exists in the logo of

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

, Korea: "Veritas Lux Mea" – meaning "Truth is my light". Villanova University also uses Veritas in its school motto, ''Veritas, Unitas, Caritas'' ("Truth, Unity, Love"). Uppsala University in Sweden also uses Veritas in its school motto, "Gratiae veritas naturae". The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Navy's primary counterintelligence arm and law enforcement agency, uses the motto on its official seal. The American communications company Verizon has its name derive from the combination of the words ' and

horizon The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...

- chosen from 8,500 candidates with $300 million spent on marketing the new brand. Other companies deriving their name from Veritas include Vertex Pharmaceuticals and

Verily Verily Life Sciences, also known as Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), is Alphabet Inc.'s research organization devoted to the study of life sciences. The organization was formerly a division of Google X, until August 10, 2015, when Sergey ...

Notes

External links

History of Truth: The Latin "Veritas"

��Origins and developments of the concept of Truth (From the Greek "Aletheia" to the Latin "Veritas") {{Roman religion Latin words and phrases Personifications in Roman mythology Roman goddesses Truth Children of Zeus

Mottos

See also

Notes

External links