AIM Framework glossary
Soft Truth
Canonical definition
A Soft Truth is a Belief occupying the long-but-finite-Decoherence-Time regime of the Decoherence Trichotomy, governed by a live Referent whose verdict is buffered by stored capital, financial, institutional, or ideological, so that certainty and Truth may diverge for an extended period before reality intrudes and the Belief decoheres, sometimes catastrophically. Its Referent is live and its Cost is ultimately borne by the world, but the settlement is delayed, and within the buffered interval the coupled dynamics rather than the truth-value govern Belief.
Explanation
A soft truth is still answerable to reality, but reality is slow to arrive. Savings, institutions, or sheer momentum hold the belief steady for years even when it has started to drift, until the buffer runs out and the correction lands, often all at once. It is true, but its truth is on a long fuse.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct.