Related questions:
v Critically discuss the theories of truth.
v Critically examine the classical theories of truth.
v What are the problems about truth? Discuss.
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INTRODUCTION
Like the concept of knowledge, truth has a similar context. Truth is inseparable from knowledge; this it would be illusionary to think it would not have similar controversial issues. In addition, the classical theories of truth stem from the problems about truth, and we intend to discuss this issue, in this write-up.
PHILOSOPHY AS THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH
Philosophy, of which Epistemology is a major branch, foundationally has a definition problem which inadvertently affects defining its component concepts of which “truth” is a part. However, philosophy has a general consensus of definitions. Here, philosophy as the search for truth represents the Epistemological definition of philosophy as a discipline, as well as a basic role it plays in the world of reality.
THE PROBLEM OF DEFINING TRUTH
As one would expect, “truth” as a philosophical and Epistemological concept has always had a definition problem. This actually stems from the fact that philosophers hardly agree on the way philosophical concepts should be defined. Thus, their patterns are partisan and segregational in nature. A brief peep into the historical conceptions of truth would explain this point more profoundly.
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF TRUTH
This is a brief analysis of some of the ways various philosophers perceived truth right from the ancient times till the contemporary thus;
· Plato - Truth is an eternal and unchanging entity existing in the intelligible world.
· Plotinus – Truth is the “one” and the contemplation of the “one” by the mind.
· St. Anselm - Truth is the rightness of something as perceived by the mind.
· St. Thomas Aquinas- Truth is the conformity of the intellect with reality.
· Rene Descartes – Truth is the clear and distinct perception of innate ideas.
· Hegel – Truth is the knowledge of the absolute.
· Kierkegaard - Truth is the idea by which one is prepared to live.
THE CLASSICAL THEORIES OF TRUTH
In an attempt to procure solutions to the truth problem, some theories have been recommended which can be perceived as a general consensus; the classical theories of truth. Basically, they are three in number, thus;
i. The correspondence theory
ii. The coherence theory
iii. The pragmatic theory
i. The correspondence theory of truth
The word “correspondence” means “similarity”. This theory holds that, “truth is the correspondence of the mind with reality”. Thus, that which exists in the mind must be similar (the same) with what is the case in reality for a thing to qualify as truth. For example, for my statement “...there is food in the pot” to be true, it must be factual that there is actually food in the pot. This theory is akin to “a posteriori” knowledge (knowledge derived from experience).
ii. The coherence theory of truth
The word “coherence” means “logically connected”. This theory deals mainly with statements, as it holds that a statement is true if there is a logical connection (coherency) between the statement and a prior systematic body of statements already known to be true. For example, “All men are human”, “David is a man”, “so, Frank is a robot”; the latest statement “...Frank is a robot” is an error (not true) as it does not cohere with the prior true statements. This theory is akin to “inferential” knowledge.
iii. The pragmatic theory of truth
The word “pragmatic” means “treating things from a practical point of view”. This theory holds that a statement or theory is true if it “works in practice”. Thus, one must be able to yield practical and beneficial results, in order to make a theory pass as truth. For example, if I say a house can be built on water and I draw a plan for it; for this to be certified as truth, it must be physically constructed in fact for all to see. This theory is inductive and scientific in nature and was propounded by “Charles Sanders Pierce” -Founder of “Pragmatism-an American philosophy”.
OTHER THEORIES OF TRUTH
i. The dialectical theory of truth
This theory holds that, truth is a process of becoming, since reality itself is in the state of becoming. The term “state of becoming” simply means “change and movement”. So, this theory is simply saying that “...truth is the principle that reality is all about change”
ii. The semantic theory of truth
This theory holds that “...truth is a property of sentences” and “...truth is, to make an assertion about a sentence”. This theory was propounded by “Alfred Taski” – a polish-American philosopher, as a version of the correspondent theory of truth.
iii. The redundancy theory of truth
This theory holds that, the truth of a sentence is uninfluenced or unaffected by adding emphasis phrases like, “...it is true”, “...it is false” as a prefix to it. Thus, such phrases are redundant. This theory was propounded by “Frank Plumpton Ramsey”, a Cambridge philosopher and mathematician in 1927.
iv. The relativistic theory of truth
This theory holds that, “...truth is the same as opinion”, as what we call truth is merely “...an opinion advanced from some specific point of view”. Thus, this theory rejects the objectivist view of truth. This theory was propounded by “Professor. Kwesi Wiredu” – a Ghanaian philosopher. “...to be true is to be opined”- says Wiredu.
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CONCLUSION
Truth like every other philosophical element has a definition problem. Thus, the classical theories of truth, as well as other theories are consensus efforts to put the problem of defining truth into perspective. However, several philosophers have advanced criticisms against these theories of truth. This asserts the perennial nature of philosophical problems.
