The Nature of Truth - Epistemology | WIRELESS PHILOSOPHY
Summary
TLDRIn this philosophical discourse, Josh Rasmussen explores the concept of truth as a treasure pursued by various fields. He delves into the correspondence theory, which posits that truth matches reality, and challenges it with the subjective nature of perception. Rasmussen then contrasts this with perspective-dependent theories like coherentism and pragmatism, which link truth to rationality or usefulness within one's viewpoint. He also discusses theories that demystify truth, such as deflationism and nihilism, questioning the value of truth if it doesn't enhance our understanding or beliefs. Finally, he proposes a scientific approach to investigate the nature of truth, suggesting that the simplest theory explaining clear truths is likely the most accurate.
Takeaways
- π Josh Rasmussen introduces the topic of truth as a philosophical concept and its value in various aspects of life.
- π The script discusses the correspondence theory of truth, which posits that truth is about matching or accurately describing reality.
- π§ It presents a challenge to the correspondence theory: the difficulty of objective truth when our experiences are subjective and perspective-based.
- π€ The script explores alternative theories such as coherentism and pragmatism, which define truth based on internal coherence or usefulness.
- π± An example is given where the truth of 'a cat is on the mat' is evaluated differently under various theories of truth.
- π€·ββοΈ Philosophers question how internal beliefs can correspond to external reality, hinting at a deeper mystery in the nature of truth.
- π The script touches on the issue of truth beyond current perspectives, such as the number of cats in the world, which is true regardless of our awareness.
- ποΈ Theories like deflationism and nihilism are introduced, which propose that the concept of truth may be unnecessary or non-existent.
- π The script suggests that theories which reduce the mystery of truth might also diminish its perceived value.
- π¬ A scientific approach is recommended for investigating the nature of truth, starting with clear truths and seeking the simplest theory that accounts for all cases.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video script?
-The main topic of the video script is the nature of truth and the different theories that attempt to explain what constitutes truth.
Why is truth considered a treasure in the script?
-Truth is considered a treasure because it is something that everyone wants more of, and it is valuable in various fields such as science, education, business, and religion.
What is the correspondence theory of truth as mentioned in the script?
-The correspondence theory of truth claims that for a statement to be true, it must correspond or accurately describe something real in the world.
What is the challenge to the correspondence theory presented in the script?
-The challenge to the correspondence theory is the issue of perspective, specifically how can one's internal perception of truth correspond to an external reality that is independent of one's perspective.
What are the perspective-based theories of truth mentioned in the script?
-The perspective-based theories of truth mentioned in the script include coherentism and pragmatism, which treat truth as dependent on elements of one's perspective, such as the coherence of beliefs or their usefulness.
What is the challenge to perspective-based theories of truth presented in the script?
-The challenge to perspective-based theories is that some truths seem to exist beyond anyone's current perspective, such as the exact number of cats, which is not dependent on whether anyone is aware of that number.
What are the theories of truth that propose to remove the concept of truth?
-The theories that propose to remove the concept of truth are deflationism and nihilism. Deflationism suggests that the term 'true' can be eliminated from sentences without loss of meaning, while nihilism denies the existence of any truths.
What is the advantage of the theories that remove the concept of truth?
-The advantage of these theories is that they decrease the mystery of truth by suggesting that the term 'true' is not necessary for understanding statements or the world.
What is the potential disadvantage of the theories that remove the concept of truth?
-The potential disadvantage is that by removing the concept of truth, these theories may also reduce the perceived value of truth, leaving unclear why we should seek truth if it doesn't help us align our beliefs with reality or improve our thinking.
What is the scientific method suggested for further investigating the nature of truth in the script?
-The suggested scientific method involves starting with observations of clear truths, such as one's existence or mathematical truths, and then finding a theory of truth that best accounts for all these clear cases in the simplest way.
What is the final recommendation for the viewer in the script?
-The final recommendation is to subscribe to the Wireless Philosophy YouTube channel for more insights on the nature of truth and related philosophical topics.
Outlines
π The Pursuit of Truth
Josh Rasmussen, an associate professor of philosophy, introduces the concept of truth as a universally sought treasure. He explains that truth is pursued by various entities such as scientists, students, businesses, and universities, and even forms the basis of religious beliefs. The video aims to explore why truth is valuable and how to acquire it. Josh will discuss different theories of truth, their implications, and the challenges they face, starting with the Correspondence Theory, which posits that truth must match reality. The theory is intuitive but faces the challenge of aligning subjective experiences with objective reality. The summary also touches on alternative theories such as coherentism and pragmatism, which link truth to the coherence or usefulness of beliefs within one's perspective, and raises questions about the nature of truth beyond individual perspectives.
π Exploring Alternative Truth Theories
This paragraph delves into alternative theories of truth that propose truth is not about correspondence with reality but is rather dependent on or even removed from one's perspective. Coherentism and pragmatism are highlighted as theories where truth is determined by the coherence of beliefs or their practical utility. The paragraph also introduces deflationism, which suggests that the term 'true' can be eliminated from sentences without loss of meaning, and nihilism, which denies the existence of truth altogether. These theories reduce the mystery of truth but may also diminish its perceived value. The summary concludes with a suggestion for a scientific approach to further investigate the nature of truth, emphasizing the importance of starting with clear truths and finding a theory that best accounts for them in the simplest way possible.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Truth
π‘Correspondence Theory
π‘Perspective
π‘Coherentism
π‘Pragmatism
π‘Deflationism
π‘Nihilism
π‘Value
π‘Scientific Method
π‘Observations
π‘Wireless Philosophy
Highlights
Truth is described as a treasure that everyone seeks, including scientists, students, businesses, universities, and religions.
The video aims to explore why truth is worth pursuing and how to understand it better.
Different theories of truth are available, and the video will discuss some major ones and their challenges.
The Correspondence Theory is introduced, stating that truth must match or accurately describe something real.
An example is given where a statement about a cat on a mat becomes true if it corresponds to reality.
The challenge of the Correspondence Theory is how subjective experiences can correspond to an objective reality.
Perspective-based theories of truth, such as Coherentism and Pragmatism, are presented as alternatives.
Coherentism and Pragmatism suggest that truth depends on the coherence or usefulness within one's perspective.
A challenge for perspective-based theories is that some truths seem to exist beyond current perspectives.
The example of the number of cats illustrates a truth that does not depend on current awareness but on the actual count.
Theories that remove the concept of truth, such as Deflationism and Nihilism, are introduced.
Deflationism proposes that the term 'true' can be eliminated from sentences without loss of meaning.
Nihilism takes an extreme stance by claiming that there are no truths at all.
Theories that remove truth simplify the concept but may diminish the value of seeking truth.
A scientific method for investigating the nature of truth is suggested, starting with clear truths and finding a theory that best accounts for them.
The video concludes by advocating for the simplest theory that can account for all clear cases as the most likely to be true.
A call to action for viewers to subscribe to the Wireless Philosophy YouTube channel is made at the end of the video.
Transcripts
[Music]
hi my name is Josh Rasmussen I'm an
associate professor of philosophy at
Azusa Pacific University and today I
want to talk about the nature of truth
truth is a treasure everyone wants more
of scientists build career searching for
it
students spend fortunes collecting it
all businesses and all universities
devote massive resources to get it
entire religions arise around the
pursuit and defense of it even now you
are curious to gain more of it from this
video but why why prefer truth over
falsehood why is truth worth pursuing at
all by understanding more about truth
you can better understand why truth as a
treasure and how to get more of it there
are different theories of truth on the
market and to help you investigate which
of these theories may be true I will
discuss some of the major theories and
their challenges I'll begin with the
correspondence theory this theory claims
that for something to be true it must
correspond with that is match or
accurately describe something real for
example if I place a real cat on my mat
then the statement a cat is on my mat
becomes true this theory makes sense of
our scientific practices where we
observe aspects of the real world and
effort to gain more troops about the
world on this theory truth is a treasure
because the more truth you have the more
often your expectations match actual
reality pretty intuitive right here's a
challenge to consider when you see a cat
you experience it from a unique vantage
point after your brain processes
external stimuli in other words you
experience the cat from your perspective
but then how can you see the cat as it
truly is outside your perspective it's
not like you can get outside your head
to look at the cat this problem is
related to a more basic question about
the nature of correspondence
how can trude's inside your head
correspond to things outside your head
how does that work some philosophers
worry that by analyzing truth as
correspondence you exchange the mystery
of truth for a greater mystery let's
consider an alternative approach a
number of theories treat truth as
dependent on elements of one's
perspective these theories include for
example versions of coherent ISM and
pragmatism to illustrate your belief
that the cat is on the mat will count as
true if it is coherent if you are a
coherent issed or useful if you are a
pragmatist on these theories truth is a
treasure because the more truth you have
the more desirable your thinking is it
is either more rational or more useful
these theories also solve the
correspondence theories problem of
getting outside your perspective since
all your truth is ultimately based on
features accessed within your
perspective such as your aims or the
coherence of your beliefs an important
challenge however is that some truths
seem to lie beyond every one's current
perspective for example either it is now
true that there is an even number of
cats or it is now true that there is an
odd number but presumably no current
perspective includes awareness of the
precise number of cats
no one has counted the cats hence the
truth of the number of cats does not
depend on any current perspective rather
it depends on the number of cats whether
or not anyone knows that number we've
just learned that some theories of truth
claim that for something to be true it
must correspond with something real
while other theories claim that truth is
dependent on elements within one's
perspective another strategy is to
remove truth here are two theories to
illustrate removal first deflation ISM
says that you can translate all
sentences that use the term true in two
sentences that do not for example the
sentence it is true that the cat is on
the mat just means that the cat is on
the mat here the term true is removed a
more extreme idea is nihilism which says
that nothing is
according to nihilism translating
alleged truths is not necessary or even
possible because there are no truths
theories that remove truth all have a
certain advantage they decreased the
mystery of truth a potential
disadvantage however is that they
increase the mystery of why we treasure
truth why seek truth if it doesn't help
you align your beliefs with reality
/ the correspondence theory or improve
the quality of your thinking /
perspective based theories it may seem
that you cannot reduce the mystery of
truth without also reducing its value in
closing I will suggest a scientific
method for further investigating the
truth about truth start with
observations of clear truths like that
you exist that one plus one equals two
and so on then find a theory of truth
the best accounts for all these clear
cases the simplest theory of truth that
counts for all the cases has the best
chance of being true thanks for watching
to subscribe to wireless philosophy on
YouTube click here
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