Is Truth an Idealization of Rational Acceptability?
Philosopher Hilary Putnam explains how his thinking has changed from the time when he stated that truth is an idealized rational acceptability. He now believes that attempting to find one characterization of truth that covers every kind of truth is ...
Descartes and the Greeks (Part 3)
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin concludes his discussion of the contrasting origins of philosophy, focusing here on Aristotle. Professor Toulmin notes that Aristotle had grown up in a medical family and was more impressed by the pragmatic underpinnings ...
Theories of Truth
Philosopher Hilary Putnam states his objections to the various theories of truth (coherence, correspondence, pragmatist and, more recently, deflationist) that have been commonly cited by philosophers of science since the early 20th century. He finds...
Does Science Give Us Truth?: Pragmatism Theory of Truth, The
A third theory of truth known as pragmatism considers success to be the main marker of truth. In contrast with intellectualists who view truth as a stagnant property, pragmatists test the performance of a belief by seeing if it can sustain an indust...
Does Science Give Us Truth?: Instrumental Side of Pragmatism, The
Pragmatic criteria guided early creatures in evolutionary history toward those activities that would enhance their survival. Similarly, in its application to science, pragmatism or instrumentalism as its sometimes called, looks for theories that are...
Pragmatism, Language and Reality
Philosopher Richard Rorty explores the link between language and reality, suggesting that no one language is any closer to reality than any other. Whether it's the language of poetry, the language of physics, the language of theology or any other la...
The Role of Language
Philosopher Hilary Putnam explains his statement that "...the belief that language describes something outside of ourselves plays an essential role in our human lives." In so doing, Professor Putnam readily acknowledges that he's learned a good deal...