Correspondence and Coherence Theories
The two great substantive theories of truth locate it either in a relation between belief and the world (correspondence) or in the mutual fit of beliefs within a system (coherence).
Definition
The correspondence theory holds that a truth-bearer is true iff it corresponds to a fact; the coherence theory holds that it is true iff it coheres with a designated, comprehensive system of beliefs or propositions.
Scope
This topic covers the classical substantive theories of truth that treat being true as a genuine, explanatory property. It treats the correspondence theory and its commitment to facts or states of affairs as truthmakers, the objections about the obscurity of the correspondence relation, the coherence theory associated with idealism and its connection to anti-realism, and the pragmatic theory's identification of truth with what works or is fated to be agreed.
Core questions
- What is the correspondence relation, and what are facts?
- Can coherence with a system suffice for truth without collapsing into relativism?
- Do these theories presuppose realism or anti-realism about the world?
- How does the pragmatic theory relate truth to inquiry and success?
Key concepts
- correspondence relation
- facts and states of affairs
- coherence and systematicity
- realism vs. anti-realism
- pragmatic truth
- truthbearers
Key theories
- Correspondence theory
- Russell and others hold that a belief is true iff there is a corresponding fact; truth is a structural correspondence between the constituents of a judgment and the constituents of reality.
- Coherence theory
- On the coherence theory, a proposition's truth consists in its membership in a maximally coherent system of propositions, a view historically tied to idealism and to anti-realist conceptions of an inquiry-relative reality.
History
The correspondence theory, rooted in Aristotle, was reasserted by Moore and Russell against the coherence theory of the British idealists Bradley and Blanshard. The pragmatists James and Peirce offered a third option identifying truth with the end of inquiry. Mid-century work clarified the metaphysics of facts and the demands a correspondence relation must meet.
Debates
- The obscurity of correspondence
- Whether the correspondence theory can specify the corresponding relation and the facts it relates without circularity or 'slingshot'-style collapse, or whether these difficulties motivate coherence or deflationary alternatives.
Key figures
- Bertrand Russell
- G. E. Moore
- F. H. Bradley
- Brand Blanshard
- William James
- Ralph Walker
Related topics
Seminal works
- russell1912
- walker1989
Frequently asked questions
- What is the main objection to the coherence theory?
- The classic objection is that more than one comprehensive, internally coherent system of beliefs is possible — for instance a coherent fairy tale — yet they cannot all be true. Without an extra tie to reality, coherence alone seems unable to distinguish truth from elaborate consistent fiction.