Are there universal truths?

Physicist: That something exists, that it is more complex than trivially simple, and it includes me (cogito ergo sum, and all that).

It doesn’t seem like you can say much more. At least, this brain-in-a-box can’t.

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Philosopher: Depends on what you mean by ‘universal’.

One option: not subject-relative. I.e., not like “seaweed stir-fry is tasty” which seems true to me but not to my undergraduates. Then we have a whole host of universal truths. 2+2=4, polar bears eat fish, there was an earthquake in Los Angeles in September of 2011, and (I think) torturing puppies for fun is immoral.

Another option: necessarily true. Then we just have the truths that couldn’t be otherwise. Math still counts, but maybe Physics truths don’t. Truths of Logic definitely count. So do truths like: nothing can be red all over and green all over.

Finally, one might mean: fundamental truths. Presumably these would include mathematical, physical, and metaphysical laws. (E.g., for a metaphysical law: for any x, y, and z, if x is part of y, and y is part of z, then x is part of z.)
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