An Identity Theory of Truth / Edition 1

by J. Dodd

Overview

This book argues that correspondence theories of truth fail because the relation which holds between a true thought and a fact is that of identity, not correspondence. According to Julian Dodd, facts are not complexes of worldly entities; they are, as Frege believed, true thoughts. The supposed truthmaker is nothing but the truthbearer. The author christens this response to correspondence theories the modest identity theory, which he goes on to distinguish from those identity theories propounded, at some time or other, by Russell, Moore, Bradley, John McDowell and Jennifer Hornsby. It is acknowledged that the modest identity theory provides neither a definition of truth nor an account of what truth consists in. The modest identity theory's role is, by contrast, that of diagnosing the failure of correspondence theories, and thereby preparing the ground for a proper deflation of the concept of truth: a deflation defended in the latter part of the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312231996
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	10/14/2000
Edition description:	2000
Pages:	199
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

Julian Dodd is Lecturer in Philosophy, Bolton Institute.

Table of Contents

Truthmakers, Facts and States of Affairs: A Critique of Correspondence
• Propositions, Indirect Speech and Truthbearers
• The Nature of Propositions: Thoughts Versus States of Affairs
• Facts are True Thoughts
• From Correspondence to Identity
• A Variety of Deflationism Defended
• Aberrations of Rival Identity Theories

Editorial Reviews

Dodd (philosophy, University of Manchester) argues that correspondence theories of truth fail because the relation which holds between a true thought and a fact is that of identity, not correspondence. He distinguishes his modest identity theory from other identity theories propounded by thinkers including Russell, Moore, and Jennifer Hornsby, and describes the modest identity theory's role as that of diagnosing the failure of correspondence theories and preparing the ground for a deflation of the concept of truth. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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