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Single Idea 6334

[filed under theme 3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 1. Truth ]

Full Idea

We must distinguish the function of the truth predicate, what it is to understand 'true', the meaning of 'true', grasping the concept of truth, and a theory of truth itself.

Gist of Idea

The function of the truth predicate? Understanding 'true'? Meaning of 'true'? The concept of truth? A theory of truth?

Source

Paul Horwich (Truth (2nd edn) [1990], Ch.2.8)

Book Ref

Horwich,Paul: 'Truth (2nd edn)' [OUP 1998], p.36


A Reaction

It makes you feel tired to think about it. Presumably every other philosophical analysis has to do this many jobs. Clearly Horwich wants to propose one account which will do all five jobs. Personally I don't believe these five are really distinct.


The 23 ideas from Paul Horwich

Probability of H, given evidence E, is prob(H) x prob(E given H) / prob(E) [Horwich]
Bayes' theorem explains why very surprising predictions have a higher value as evidence [Horwich]
Analyse counterfactuals using causation, not the other way around [Horwich]
Problems with Goodman's view of counterfactuals led to a radical approach from Stalnaker and Lewis [Horwich]
A priori knowledge (e.g. classical logic) may derive from the innate structure of our minds [Horwich]
Meanings and concepts cannot give a priori knowledge, because they may be unacceptable [Horwich]
Understanding needs a priori commitment [Horwich]
How do we determine which of the sentences containing a term comprise its definition? [Horwich]
Meaning is generated by a priori commitment to truth, not the other way around [Horwich]
A priori belief is not necessarily a priori justification, or a priori knowledge [Horwich]
If we stipulate the meaning of 'number' to make Hume's Principle true, we first need Hume's Principle [Horwich]
Horwich's deflationary view is novel, because it relies on propositions rather than sentences [Horwich, by Davidson]
The common-sense theory of correspondence has never been worked out satisfactorily [Horwich]
No deflationary conception of truth does justice to the fact that we aim for truth [Horwich]
The deflationary picture says believing a theory true is a trivial step after believing the theory [Horwich]
The function of the truth predicate? Understanding 'true'? Meaning of 'true'? The concept of truth? A theory of truth? [Horwich]
The redundancy theory cannot explain inferences from 'what x said is true' and 'x said p', to p [Horwich]
We could know the truth-conditions of a foreign sentence without knowing its meaning [Horwich]
Logical form is the aspects of meaning that determine logical entailments [Horwich]
There are Fregean de dicto propositions, and Russellian de re propositions, or a mixture [Horwich]
Right translation is a mapping of languages which preserves basic patterns of usage [Horwich]
Some correspondence theories concern facts; others are built up through reference and satisfaction [Horwich]
Truth is a useful concept for unarticulated propositions and generalisations about them [Horwich]