more from Fraser MacBride

Single Idea 18482

[catalogued under 3. Truth / B. Truthmakers / 8. Making General Truths]

Full Idea

Optimalists say that negative truths are 'true by default' (having the opposite truth value of p), and universal truths are too. Universal truths are equivalent to negative existential truths, which are true by default.

Clarification

¬∃x¬Fx → ∀xFx

Gist of Idea

Optimalists say that negative and universal are true 'by default' from the positive truths

Source

Fraser MacBride (Truthmakers [2013], 2.2)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.18


A Reaction

The background idea is Wittgenstein's, that if p is false, then not-p is true by default, without anyone having to assert the negation. This strikes me as a very promising approach to truthmaking. See Simons 2008.