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Single Idea 23288

[filed under theme 3. Truth / F. Semantic Truth / 1. Tarski's Truth / c. Meta-language for truth ]

Full Idea

We have to wonder how we know that it is some single concept which Tarski indicates how to define for each of a number of well-behaved languages.

Gist of Idea

When Tarski defines truth for different languages, how do we know it is a single concept?

Source

Donald Davidson (Truth Rehabilitated [1997], P.11)

Book Ref

Davidson,Donald: 'Truth, Language and History' [OUP 2005], p.11


A Reaction

Davidson says that Tarski makes the assumption that it is a single concept, but fails to demonstrate the fact. This resembles Frege's Julius Caesar problem - of how you know whether your number definition has defined a number.


The 9 ideas from 'Truth Rehabilitated'

Disquotation only accounts for truth if the metalanguage contains the object language [Davidson]
When Tarski defines truth for different languages, how do we know it is a single concept? [Davidson]
Knowing the potential truth conditions of a sentence is necessary and sufficient for understanding [Davidson]
It could be that the use of a sentence is explained by its truth conditions [Davidson]
Correspondence can't be defined, but it shows how truth depends on the world [Davidson]
Without truth, both language and thought are impossible [Davidson]
Plato's Forms confused truth with the most eminent truths, so only Truth itself is completely true [Davidson]
If we try to identify facts precisely, they all melt into one (as the Slingshot Argument proves) [Davidson]
Truth can't be a goal, because we can neither recognise it nor confim it [Davidson]