The correspondence theory of truth: an essay on the metaphysics of predication

264 Pages·2004·0.848 MB·English

by  Lucan, William G., Russell, Bertrand, Newman, Andrew, Harman, Gilbert, Wittgenstein, Ludwig, Haldane, John, Russell, Bertrand, Jackson, Frank, Dancy, Jonathan, Sosa, Ernest

The Correspondence Theory of Truth
Thisworkpresentsaversionof thecorrespondencetheoryoftruthbased
onWittgenstein’sTractatusandRussell’stheoryoftruthanddiscussesre-
latedmetaphysicalissuessuchaspredication,facts,andpropositions.Like
Russell and one prominent interpretation of the Tractatus, it assumes a
realistviewof universals.PartoftheaimistoavoidPlatonicpropositions,
andalthoughsympathywithfactsismaintainedintheearlychapters,the
bookarguesthatfactsasrealentitiesarenotneeded.Itincludesdiscussion
ofcontemporaryphilosopherssuchasDavidArmstrong,WilliamAlston,
and Paul Horwich, as well as those who write about propositions and
facts and a number of recent students of Bertrand Russell. It will inter-
est teachers and advanced students of philosophy who are interested in
therealistconceptionoftruthandinissuesinmetaphysicsrelatedtothe
correspondence theory of truth and those interested in Russell and the
Tractatus.
Andrew Newman is Professor of Philosophy at the University of
Nebraska at Omaha. He obtained a B.Sc. degree in physics from King’s
College, London, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Birkbeck College,
London, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from University College, London.
HeistheauthorofThePhysicalBasisofPredication(CambridgeUniversity
Press,1992),abookaboutuniversals,causality,andthenatureofthereal.

cambridge studies in philosophy
Generaleditor ernest sosa(BrownUniversity)
Advisoryeditors
jonathan dancy(UniversityofReading)
john haldane(UniversityofSt.Andrews)
gilbert harman(PrincetonUniversity)
frank jackson(AustralianNationalUniversity)
william g. lycan(UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill)
sydney shoemaker(CornellUniversity)
judith j. thomson(MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology)
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The Correspondence Theory of Truth
An Essay on the Metaphysics of Predication
ANDREW NEWMAN
UniversityofNebraskaatOmaha
         
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  
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Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
http://www.cambridge.org
©Andrew Newman 2004
First published in printed format 2002
ISBN 0-511-02985-3 eBook (Adobe Reader)
ISBN 0-521-81139-2 hardback
Now, it is agreed that every true predication has some
...
basis in the nature of things.
Leibniz, Discourse on Metaphysics, 8

Contents
Acknowledgements pagexii
Introduction 1
1 Universals,Predication,andTruth 10
1.1 TheProblemofUniversals 10
1.2 TheoriesofUniversals 15
1.3 Predication,Participation,andInherence 20
1.4 Universals,Truth,andDevitt 26
2 TheUnivocityofTruth 33
2.1 HorwichandDeflationaryTheoriesofTruth 33
2.2 AlstonandMinimalistRealismaboutTruth 37
2.3 TheProblemoftheUnivocityofTruth 42
2.4 RealityandtheEleaticPrinciple 47
3 TheCorrespondenceTheoryforPredicativeSentences 53
3.1 DifficultiesaboutStatesofAffairsintheTractatus 53
3.2 TruthasIsomorphismbetweenSentenceandState
ofAffairs 58
3.3 TheNominalistAccountofAtomicFacts 61
3.4 TheRealistAccountofAtomicFacts 66
3.5 CorrespondenceforSentenceswithandwithoutFacts 72
3.6 TheNotionofContent 77
3.7 Austin’sTheoryofTruth 79
Appendix3.1: The Role of Mental Sentences in Tractarian
Belief 83
Appendix3.2: TheTractatus’sAttitudetoTruth 86
ix