Philosophy of Truth
Essay title: Philosophy of Truth
There are many theories on the meaning of truth, and with those theories come beliefs and questions as to why one is more adequate than the others. The theory that I will discuss as the most adequate is the correspondence theory. Honestly, I dont possess the capabilities to fully determine the most sufficient theory of truth. I do, however, have empirical evidence and solid reasoning to support the correspondence theory. There are many valid arguments and questions of this theory that I am not qualified to completely refute. For the sake of this essay I am only able to continue this age old discussion, not to conclude with an exact theory of truth to follow.
First I will introduce the basic ideas of the correspondence theory and then I will show why I support these ideas. Then I will present what some other philosophers have said in regards to the correspondence theory and how I interpret these statements. To end, I will discuss the basic arguments against the correspondence theory, and show reasons as to why these arguments are applicable to any theory.
The concept of the correspondence theory says that a statement is true only if the facts given match up with reality. (Solomon p.268) This can be a very simple approach to determining the truth. The basic idea is that if, based on my understanding of reality, the statement given matches that reality then the statement is true. If the statement does not correspond to reality then it is false. A statement is a sentence that can be determined to be true or false but not both at the same time. So ultimately I use past experiences and beliefs to determine my concept of reality. Then, based on my idea of reality, I determine if a statement is either true or false.
“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, is true” (Solomon p 268) This was Aristotles belief in Metaphysics and seems to be a very clear-cut statement on how to determine truth. Either a statement is true or false. The law of contradiction says that a statement and its denial cannot both be true. (Solomon p.266) This reinforces the belief that a statement cannot be true and false at the same time. As Aristotle also said in Metaphysics “It is impossible for the same man to suppose at the same time that the same thing is and is not.” (Solomon p 266) This however, as some still argue, does not solve the problem that what may true to one, may be false to another. If reality is based on my experiences, then having different experiences can cause different perceptions of reality. The argument of whom or what would determine the final truth is well beyond my qualifications. This can cause a contradiction of truth. This contradiction, based on an individuals idea of reality, is another concept that I am able to only understand and take a position. I do not have the final answers to these arguments but I do have a perspective. An individuals concept of reality is unique to that individual. Based on ones experiences comes that persons concept of reality. Just because someones experiences cause them to believe one truth, doesnt mean they are wrong if I believe another truth. This idea of reality is what causes philosophers to discuss different theories of truth and their credibilitys on many different levels. These extreme cases and abstract ideas is where the correspondence theory draws in the critics.
I feel that some of these arguments, though valid, are applicable to any theory. The first argument of this theory roots from the name itself. This argument of the correspondence theory states that “there is no such thing as a statement or belief that by itself is capable of corresponding to anything.” (Solomon p268) This means that mainly because our words have different meanings in different languages there is not one single statement that can