Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Steven Pinker, Moses Schnfinkel and Alfred Tarski

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4 ideas

3. Truth / G. Axiomatic Truth / 1. Axiomatic Truth
Tarski's had the first axiomatic theory of truth that was minimally adequate [Tarski, by Horsten]
     Full Idea: Tarski's work is the earliest axiomatic theory of truth that meets minimal adequacy conditions.
     From: report of Alfred Tarski (The Concept of Truth for Formalized Languages [1933]) by Leon Horsten - The Tarskian Turn 01.1
     A reaction: This shows a way in which Tarski gave a new direction to the study of truth. Subsequent theories have been 'stronger'.
Tarski defined truth, but an axiomatisation can be extracted from his inductive clauses [Tarski, by Halbach]
     Full Idea: Tarski preferred a definition of truth, but from that an axiomatisation can be extracted. His induction clauses can be turned into axioms. Hence he opened the way to axiomatic theories of truth.
     From: report of Alfred Tarski (The Concept of Truth for Formalized Languages [1933]) by Volker Halbach - Axiomatic Theories of Truth 3
Tarski thought axiomatic truth was too contingent, and in danger of inconsistencies [Tarski, by Davidson]
     Full Idea: Tarski preferred an explicit definition of truth to axioms. He says axioms have a rather accidental character, only a definition can guarantee the continued consistency of the system, and it keeps truth in harmony with physical science and physicalism.
     From: report of Alfred Tarski (works [1936]) by Donald Davidson - Truth and Predication 2 n2
     A reaction: Davidson's summary, gleaned from various sources in Tarski. A big challenge for modern axiom systems is to avoid inconsistency, which is extremely hard to do (given that set theory is not sure of having achieved it).
We need an undefined term 'true' in the meta-language, specified by axioms [Tarski]
     Full Idea: We have to include the term 'true', or some other semantic term, in the list of undefined terms of the meta-language, and to express fundamental properties of the notion of truth in a series of axioms.
     From: Alfred Tarski (The Semantic Conception of Truth [1944], 10)
     A reaction: It sounds as if Tarski semantic theory gives truth for the object language, but then an axiomatic theory of truth is also needed for the metalanguage. Halbch and Horsten seem to want an axiomatic theory in the object language.