Single Idea 6277

[catalogued under 3. Truth / C. Correspondence Truth / 3. Correspondence Truth critique]

Full Idea

The great nineteenth century argument against the correspondence theory of truth was that one cannot think of truth as correspondence to facts (or 'reality') because one would need to compare concepts directly with unconceptualised reality.

Gist of Idea

Correspondence between concepts and unconceptualised reality is impossible

Source

Hilary Putnam (Meaning and the Moral Sciences [1978], Pt Three)

Book Reference

Putnam,Hilary: 'Meaning and the Moral Sciences' [RKP 1981], p.110


A Reaction

Presumably the criticism was offered by idealists, who preferred a coherence theory. The defence is to say that there is a confusion here between a concept and the contents of a concept. The contents of a concept are designed to be facts.

Related Ideas

Idea 22309 An idea can only be like another idea [Berkeley]

Idea 19465 There cannot be complete correspondence, because ideas and reality are quite different [Frege]