Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Scientific Explanation', 'The Principles of Mathematics' and 'Properties'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts


2 ideas

3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 5. Truth Bearers
What is true or false is not mental, and is best called 'propositions' [Russell]
     Full Idea: I hold that what is true or false is not in general mental, and requiring a name for the true or false as such, this name can scarcely be other than 'propositions'.
     From: Bertrand Russell (The Principles of Mathematics [1903], Pref)
     A reaction: This is the Fregean and logicians' dream that that there is some fixed eternal realm of the true and the false. I think true and false concern the mental. We can talk about the 'facts' which are independent of minds, but not the 'truth'.
3. Truth / H. Deflationary Truth / 1. Redundant Truth
"The death of Caesar is true" is not the same proposition as "Caesar died" [Russell]
     Full Idea: "The death of Caesar is true" is not, I think, the same proposition as "Caesar died".
     From: Bertrand Russell (The Principles of Mathematics [1903], §478)
     A reaction: I suspect that it was this remark which provoked Ramsey into rebellion, because he couldn't see the difference. Nowadays we must talk first of conversational implicature, and then of language and metalanguage.