Bertrand Russell – Correspondence Theory of Truth (09-2005)

Sarah Diebel
PHL 205 – Ethics
09-2005

Bertrand Russell – Correspondence Theory

What is truth? In Bertrand Russell’s article on the correspondence theory of truth he states three requisites for truth: a) Truth must admit of its opposite, falsehood. b) Truth and falsehood are properties of belief statements, and c) Truth depends upon independent fact. Bertrand Russell believes that the difference between our knowledge of things and truth is as follows: In regards to truth our beliefs may be mistaken, where as there is no erroneous knowledge of things. Thus in order to establish truth, our belief and or judgment must create a complex whole with factual objects it is examining. If this is true, then it will correspond to this whole.

Topic 1:

Bertrand Russell believes truth is based on reality that our knowledge of truth is based on things, objects, and facts. But truth is in the eye of the beholder; belief can be a relation between that mind and a single object. Truth has to correspond with facts in order to verify belief. Individuals can make statements regarding individual thoughts and beliefs. But a statement remains true, if it corresponds and agrees with factual objectivity. Our decisions of thought and beliefs are based on taught moral values and cultural values.

Topic 2:

Bertrand Russell finds two major flaws in the coherence theory of truth. The first is that it leaves room for more than one coherent body of beliefs to be true. The second is that the laws of logic by which the test of coherence is applied are they themselves not able to be established by this test. Russell is looking for a more solidly grounded definition of truth. He admits the difficulty involved in establishing correspondence between belief and truth that cannot be disproved. However, he believes it can be done and thus continues to illustrate how.

Topic 3:

Our knowledge of truth differs from that of things. Things can be defined with facts and truths seem to be more individual, or dependent on the person. Russell explains that it is not the answer we look for in a question, but the question itself. Something you also look for is what is meant by that question, what is truth and what is falsehood.

What do you think?

http://wis.dm/questions/122393-does-truth-correspond-between-truth-and-reality-see-details