Truth Models: Correspondence Theory

Models of Truth: Correspondence Theory

• The correspondence theory, traced to Plato and Aristotle, is the oldest model of truth.
• A statement is deemed true if it aligns with reality.
• The geocentric view was disproved by Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler using scientific methods, leading to the heliocentric model.
• The truth of the claim "The Earth is flat," can be disproved via satellite images and scientific measurements.

Plato's Perspective

• True knowledge comes from understanding the forms or essence of things, not just shadows.
• Statements about shadows are false, while statements about forms are true because they align with reality.
• Plato's Theory of Forms states that non-material abstract forms accurately reflect reality.
• The statement "Beauty exists" corresponds to the Form of Beauty.
• Truth is acknowledged when recognizing beauty as corresponding to the eternal Form of Beauty.

Aristotle's Perspective

• Aristotle believed that understanding truth requires understanding substance.
• The statement "A cat is an animal" is true due to cats belonging to the animal category.
• Truth is found in the essence of things such as understanding a cat's nature.
• Aristotle's principle of non-contradiction states that contradictory statements can't both be true simultaneously.
• The statements "It is raining" and "It is not raining" cannot both be true at the same time and place.
• A true statement corresponds to a singular reality without contradiction.
• Both Plato and Aristotle developed the correspondence theory of truth,
• Plato focused on the realm of forms, and Aristotle focused on substance and logical consistency.

Philosophers and Language

• Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) co-authored Principia Mathematica with Alfred Whitehead.
• Principia Mathematica is a work in mathematical logic showing how math is derived from logical foundations.
• Russell used logical analysis on language and thought.
• Misunderstandings of language is a cause of philosophical problems
• Russell's "Theory of Descriptions" clarifies statements such as "The present King of France is bald.”
• The sentence's structure "The present King of France is bald.” is misleading, because there is no King of France.
• Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) authored Process and Reality.
• Whitehead's process philosophy states that reality is a constant process of becoming, not static entities.
• In the Principle of Relativity, Whitehead challenges Einstein's relativity theory, suggesting a more flexible model of space and time.
• Events and change are understood rather than fixed objects.
• Understanding events and change ties into the nature of truth as dynamic instead of static.
• Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) wrote Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, which explores language, thought, and reality.
• Wittgenstein also wrote Philosophical Investigations which introduces language-games.
• The meaning of words depends on their use and contrasts the idea that words have fixed meanings
• Wittgenstein's theory of language-games explains that the meaning of "game" varies with its usage (e.g., sports vs. board games.)

Logical Positivism

• Philosophers like A.J. Ayer used verification theory, stating that a statement is meaningful if empirically verifiable.
• The statement "Unicorns exist" is meaningful if testable, while metaphysical claims like "The soul is eternal" cannot be verified.

Bertrand Russell's Theory of Descriptions

• Russell's Theory of Descriptions explains definite descriptions, and phrases denoting a specific entity.

Examples of Bertrand Russell's Theory of Descriptions

• The statement "The present King of France is bald" appears to assert about the current King of France, but can be broken down:
  • There exists an individual who is the present King of France.
  • There is only one individual who is the present King of France.
  • This individual is bald.
• Because there is no current King of France, the first component fails, thus the entire statement cannot be meaningfully asserted.
• The statement "The author of 'Hamlet' is a genius" makes a claim about the author of "Hamlet", but is decomposed into:
  • There exists an individual who is the author of "Hamlet."
  • There is only one individual who is the author of "Hamlet."
  • This individual is a genius.
• William Shakespeare is the author of Hamlet.
• The statement, "The first man on the Moon was Neil Armstrong" attributes an achievement to an individual.
• The statement "The first man on the Moon was Neil Armstrong" can be analyzed as:
  • There exists an individual who was the first man on the Moon.
  • There is only one individual who was the first man on the Moon.
  • This individual is Neil Armstrong.
• Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, all components are true, making the statement true.
• The statement "The King of America is wise" seems to refer to a specific individual, but can be analyzed as:
  • There exists an individual who is the King of America.
  • There is only one individual who is the King of America.
  • This individual is wise.
• Since there is no King of America, the statement is false.
• Russell's Theory of Descriptions clarifies ambiguities and assesses truth-value by analyzing the logical structure of statements.

Phenomenology

• Founded by Edmund Husserl, phenomenology studies how things appear in consciousness.
• Phenomenology's principle, "consciousness is always consciousness of something," indicates thoughts are directed toward an object or idea.
• Phenomenology distinguishes between objectivity and subjectivity:
  • Objectivity: A detached, scientific analysis.
  • Subjectivity: The involvement of the thinker.
• Phenomenology aims to uncover the true essence of experiences.

Husserl's Key Concepts

• Noema: The object as it is perceived.
• Noesis: The act of perceiving that object.
• Husserl's phenomenology encourages reflection to grasp the essence of things

Natural vs. Transcendental Attitude

• Natural Attitude: Accepting things as they are.
• Transcendental Attitude: Intentionally directing consciousness to investigate the essence of things beyond everyday understanding.
• Phenomenology investigates common experiences like attending a funeral beyond cultural habits to ask deeper questions.

Existentialism

• Jean-Paul Sartre argues that existence precedes essence, meaning we create meaning through our actions.
• Existentialism emphasizes subjectivity, with individuals creating their own meaning which contrasts with objective truths.
• Existentialism emphasizes freedom and responsibility in creating meaning.
• Existentialism builds on phenomenology, focusing on how experiences shape our existence with emphasis on personal interaction.

Existential Phenomenology

• It merges phenomenology with existentialism, relating experiences to our being.
• Maurice Merleau-Ponty emphasized the body's importance in experience.
• Ex: A hungry body affects the mind's ability to process and think.
• Simple truths like 1+1=2 is objectively correct from an existentialist perspective.
• Knowledge should be personally meaningful.
• The body is part of our existence that shapes experiences, tying bodily experiences to thoughts and perceptions.