Philosophy of Truth Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Truth Essay in that respect are many theories on the centre of impartiality, and with those theories come beliefs and questions as to why ane is more adequate than the others. The surmise that I will discuss as the most adequate is the totence conjecture. Honestly, I dont possess the capabilities to fully determine the most sufficient theory of truth. I do, however, have empirical evidence and solid reasoning to support the correspondence theory. There are many legitimate arguments and questions of this theory that I am not qualified to completely refute. For the sake of this essay I am only able to continue this age old discussion, not to conclude with an exact theory of truth to follow. First I will introduce the basic ideas of the correspondence theory and whence I will show why I support these ideas. Then I will present what whatever other philosophers have verbalize in regards to the correspondence theory and how I interpret these statements. To end, I will discuss the basic arguments against the correspondence theory, and show reasons as to why these arguments are applicable to any theory.The concept of the correspondence theory says that a statement is aline only if the facts given match up with reality. (Solomon p. 268) This crapper be a really simple approach to determining the truth. The basic idea is that if, based on my understanding of reality, the statement given matches that reality then the statement is true. If the statement does not correspond to reality then it is false. A statement is a sentence that wad be determined to be true or false exactly not both at the same time. So ultimately I use past experiences and beliefs to determine my concept of reality.Then, based on my idea of reality, I determine if a statement is either true or false. To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, is true (Solomon p 268) Thi s was Aristotles belief in Metaphysics and seems to be a very clear-cut statement on how to determine truth. Either a statement is true or false. The lawfulness of contradiction says that a statement and its denial cannot both be true. (Solomon p. 266) This reinforces the belief that a statement cannot be true and false at the same time.As Aristotle also said in Metaphysics It is impossible for the same man to suppose at the same time that the same thing is and is not. (Solomon p 266) This however, as slightly yet argue, does not solve the problem that what may true to one, may be false to another. If reality is based on my experiences, then having different experiences can cause different perceptions of reality. The argument of whom or what would determine the last(a) truth is well beyond my qualifications. This can cause a contradiction of truth.This contradiction, based on an individuals idea of reality, is another concept that I am able to only understand and take a positio n. I do not have the final answers to these arguments but I do have a perspective. An individuals concept of reality is unique to that individual. Based on ones experiences comes that persons concept of reality. Just because someones experiences cause them to believe one truth, doesnt mean they are wrong if I believe another truth. This idea of reality is what causes philosophers to discuss different theories of truth and their credibilitys on many different levels.These perfect cases and abstract ideas is where the correspondence theory draws in the critics. I feel that some of these arguments, though valid, are applicable to any theory. The first argument of this theory grow from the name itself. This argument of the correspondence theory states that thither is no such thing as a statement or belief that by itself is capable of corresponding to anything. (Solomon p268) This means that mainly because our words have different meanings in different languages there is not one sing le statement that can correspond to anything.I feel that this is a weak argument in that it would mean that nothing can be true. There are many different languages and there is no single word I know of that is universal. This argument could be applied to any theory of truth. If what I say is not true to all(prenominal)one, then it is false. That seems to be the basis of this argument and because of this belief nothing could be true. To me that is an outrageous and un-realistic argument. The next meridian critics of the correspondence theory make is that there in some cases may be physical implications with verifying correspondence. One example of this for me may be my diabetes.If I say my blood boodle is low the only right smart to verify if that is true is through the use of my glucose meter. Without the correct equipment there is no way to tell if that statement is true. (At least until Im in a coma ). To me this still seems to have a simple solution the truth isnt known until it can be verified. I truly do not know if my blood sugar is low until I have tested it. This may cause me to have to rely on another persons statement but then I can only form an opinion. If I cannot verify the truth physically then I do not know if it is true. This brings up the next argument.The final point I will talk about is that of abstract ideas. Some people will argue that the correspondence theory does not work for abstract ideas, such as love and feelings. These are difficult to verify since they are mostly feelings. There is no concrete source to match them up with. To find the truth in these areas is very difficult with any theory of truth. The best answer I have to counter this objection is that the truth to these abstract ideas is unique to every individual and is really more of an opinion. If someone says I am hungry that is really more of an opinion than a statement.Therefore these claims cannot be either true or false, they are a feeling and that is not for me to judge as truth or not. This leads me to conclude that the correspondence theory is the most adequate theory for determining truth. As long as a belief or statement corresponds with my perception of reality then it is the truth. Though there are valid arguments against this theory I feel that they are a stretch and can be argued against any theory of truth. Bibliography Solomon, Robert, Introducing Philosophy, 8th edition, (Oxford University Press, NY 2005) pp266-279.