Understanding Truth

Hardcover
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Author: Scott Soames

ISBN-10: 0195111516

ISBN-13: 9780195111514

Category: Major Branches of Philosophical Study

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In this book, Scott Soames illuminates the notion of truth and the role it plays in our ordinary thought, as well as in our logical, philosophical, and scientific theories. Part I addresses crucial background issues, including the identification of the bearers of truth, the basis for distinguishing truth from other notions (like certainty, with which it is often confused), and the formulation of positive responses to well-known forms of philosophical skepticism about truth. Part II explicates the formal theories of Alfred Tarski and Saul Kripke, including their treatments of the Liar paradox, and evaluates the philosophical significance of their work. Part III extends important lessons drawn from Tarski and Kripke into new domains: vague predicates, the Sorites paradox, and the development of a larger, deflationary perspective on truth.Soames aims to integrate and deepen the most significant insights on truth from a variety of sources. He powerfully brings together the best technical work an the most important philosophical reflection on truth and shows how each can illuminate the other.

Introduction3Pt. IFoundational Issues1Truth Bearers132Forms of Truth Skepticism20Pt. IITwo Theories of Truth3Tarski's Definition of Truth674The Significance of Tarski's Theory of Truth985Lessons of the Liar1486Truth, Paradox, and Partially Defined Predicates163Pt. IIIExtensions7Vagueness, Partiality, and the Sorites Paradox2038What Is Truth?: The Deflationary Perspective228Index263