Armstrong - Truth And Truthmakers

172 Pages·2005·0.89 MB·English

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Truth and Truthmakers
Truthsaredeterminednotbywhatwebelieve,butbythewaythe
world is. Or so realists about truth believe. Philosophers call such
theories correspondence theories of truth. Truthmaking theory,
whichnowhasmanyadherentsamongcontemporaryphilosophers,
isthemostrecentdevelopmentofarealisttheoryoftruth,andinthis
bookD.M.Armstrongoffersthefirstfull-lengthstudyofthistheory.
He examines its applications to different sorts of truth, including
contingenttruths,modaltruths,truthsaboutthepastandthefuture,
andmathematicaltruths.Inaclear,even-handedandnon-technical
discussionhemakesacompellingcasefortruthmakinganditsim-
portanceinphilosophy.Hisbookmarksasignificantcontributionto
thedebateandwillbeofinteresttoawiderangeofreadersworking
inanalyticalphilosophy.
d. m. armstrong’smanypublicationsincludeAMaterialistTheory
ofMind(1968)andAWorldofStatesofAffairs(1997).
CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN PHILOSOPHY
Generaleditorse.j.loweandwaltersinnott-armstrong
Advisoryeditors
jonathandancyUniversityofReading
johnhaldaneUniversityofStAndrews
gilbertharmanPrincetonUniversity
frankjacksonAustralianNationalUniversity
williamg.lycanUniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHill
sydneyshoemakerCornellUniversity
judithj.thomsonMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
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Truth and Truthmakers
d. m. armstrong
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Sydney
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521838320
© D. M. Armstrong 2004
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2004
isbn-13 978-0-511-21200-0 eBook (EBL)
isbn-10 0-511-21377-8 eBook (EBL)
isbn-13 978-0-521-83832-0 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-83832-0 hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-54723-9 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-54723-7 paperback
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for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
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ForCharlieMartin,whointroducedme
tothenotionofatruthmaker

Contents
Preface page xi
1. Anintroductiontotruthmakers 1
2. Thegeneraltheoryoftruthmaking 4
2.1. Introduction 4
2.2. Historical 4
2.3. Thetruthmakingrelation 5
2.4. Falsemakers 9
2.5. TheEntailmentprinciple 10
2.6. Truthsandfalsehoodsarepropositions 12
2.7. Connectingtruthwithreality 16
2.8. Arealistdefinitionoftruth? 17
2.9. Truthmakersforpmay(properly)include
truthmakersforp 17
2.10. Minimaltruthmakers 19
2.11. Atruthmayhavemanyminimaltruthmakers 21
2.12. Truthswithoutminimaltruthmakers 21
2.13. Uniqueminimaltruthmakers 22
2.14. Thepostulationoftruthmakerscontrastedwith
‘quantifyingover’ 23
2.15. Differenttruths,sameminimaltruthmakers 24
3. Epistemologyandmethodology 26
3.1. Theepistemicbase 26
3.2. Mooreantruths 26
3.3. Therationalsciences 30
3.4. Theempiricalsciences 32
3.5. Deflationarytruthmakers 32
3.6. Goingbeyondtherationalconsensus 34
vii
Contents
3.7. Truthmakersthataretoonarrowortoowide 36
3.8. Metaphysicsandepistemology 37
4. Properties,relationsandstatesofaffairs 39
4.1. Introduction 39
4.2. Properties 39
4.3. Predicationnecessaryorcontingent? 45
4.4. Universalsandinstantiation 46
4.5. Statesofaffairs 48
4.6. Relations 50
5. Negativetruths 53
5.1. Introduction 53
5.2. Canwedispensewithnegativefacts? 54
6. Generaltruths 68
6.1. Truthmakersforgeneraltruths 68
6.2. Thelogicalformofgeneralfacts 72
6.3. Totalitystatesofaffairsandthecausalorder 76
6.4. WhydidRussellwantbothgeneralfactsand
negativefacts? 79
6.5. Newthinkingaboutgeneralfacts 80
6.6. Inmemoriam:GeorgeMolnar 81
7. Truthmakersformodaltruths,part1:possibility 83
7.1. Introduction 83
7.2. ThePossibilityprinciple 83
7.3. Thepossibilityofaliens 86
7.4. Isitpossiblefortheretobenothingatall? 89
7.5. Minimaltruthmakersfortruthsofpossibility 91
8. Truthmakersformodaltruths,part2:necessity 95
8.1. Againstextensionalaccountsofnecessity 95
8.2. Necessarystatesofaffairsintherationalsciences? 96
8.3. Interpolation:truthmakersfor7,5,12etc. 99
8.4. Truthmakersfortruthsofnecessityintherational
sciences 100
8.5. Adeeperhypothesis 103
8.6. Hochbergonidentityanddiversity 104
8.7. Internalproperties 105
8.8. Truthsofimpossibility 107
viii