totelevuuden

Totelevuuden is a Finnish term describing the degree to which a statement, representation, or narrative corresponds to reality or plausibility. The concept is used across disciplines such as philosophy, literary studies, film theory, and journalism to assess how convincingly a work models the real world or possible states of affairs.

The term derives from the Finnish verb toteuttaa, meaning to realize or actualize, with the noun form totelevuus and its genitive totelevuuden. In philosophical contexts, totelevuuden refers to verisimilitude, i.e., the extent to which a proposition or theory resembles truth, independent of its empirical proof. In literary and film studies, it concerns plausibility and coherence within a fictional world: how well events fit the internal rules, setting, and social expectations presented by the work.

Totelevuuden is distinguished from factual accuracy (whether a specific claim is correct) and from mere entertainment value. A text can exhibit high totelevuuden without delivering factual truth, if it convincingly recreates a possible reality. Conversely, a work may present accurate details yet lack overall plausibility or internal coherence.

In Finnish discourse, references to totelevuuden often appear in discussions of realism, narrative technique, and media ethics, including debates about how media representations shape public understanding of real events. The term thus serves as a flexible lens for evaluating how closely cultural products reflect or construct perceived reality.