Single Idea 14398

[catalogued under 3. Truth / B. Truthmakers / 5. What Makes Truths / b. Objects make truths]

Full Idea

Truthmaker makes it impossible simply to remove an entity. One must always replace it with something else; namely, a truthmaker for the claim that that entity does not exist.

Gist of Idea

Truthmaker says if an entity is removed, some nonexistence truthmaker must replace it

Source

Trenton Merricks (Truth and Ontology [2007], 4.I-3)

Book Reference

Merricks,Trenton: 'Truth and Ontology' [OUP 2007], p.71


A Reaction

This is a particularly strong and persuasive argument from Merricks against the truthmaker view. Clearly the truthmaker for non-existence can't be there when it exists, and the destruction bringing the negative truthmaker into existence sounds odd.