Recording: PHIL-3010 Mod2

Duration: 40 Minutes
2200945
Feedback: https://form.jotform.com/220622168705048

[00:00:01]
CLASS DISCUSSION

Correspondence Theory of Truth

● It is widely accepted as being true because it makes perfect common sense.
○ Propositions
■ Things that are true or false.
■ A proposition is true if it corresponds to or matches reality.
■ The correspondence between reality and the proposition makes it true.
● Truth is about corresponding to reality.
■ A proposition is false if it does not correspond to or match reality.
■ The lack of correspondence between reality and the proposition makes it
false.
○ Example
■ First proposition: The circle is blue. (The circle is indeed blue.)
● There is correspondence.
● The reality and the proposition correspond or match up with each
other.
■ Second proposition: The square is red. (The square is of a different
color.)
● There is no correspondence.
● The description of the proposition and the reality are not the same.

Standard Definition of Knowledge

● First part: You know something is true.
○ You cannot know things that are false.
● Second part: Knowledge is a form of belief.
○ Believing something is accepting that it is true.
● Third part: You must have a justification or good reasons for believing something.
● Truth
○ It is a component of knowledge.

Distinction between Knowledge and Truth

● Things do not need to be known for them to be true.
● Things can correspond to reality, even if we don't believe that they correspond to reality
and even if we don't have good reasons for believing that they correspond to reality.
● Examples
○ Copernican Revolution
■ Proposition: The earth revolves around the sun.
 ● Is this proposition true in 1020? Yes.
● Is this proposition true in 2020? Yes.
○ The proposition expressed by these sentences
corresponds to reality.
○ This proposition is true in both instances because reality
has not changed in any way.
■ The earth was going around the sun in 1020 and was still going around
the sun in 2020.
■ People did not know that the earth revolves around the sun until
Copernicus.
■ This is a significant example because the proposition was still true even if
no one knew it was true.
○ Existence of Aliens
■ Some people believe aliens exist, and some people do not.
● Possibility 1: Aliens are real.
○ If there are aliens, then this proposition corresponds to
reality.
● Possibility 2: There are no aliens.
○ Suppose no forms of intelligent life originated from a planet
other than earth anywhere in the universe. In that case, the
first possibility does not correspond to reality.

Objectivity and Subjectivity of Truth

● Tony Roy argues that if we accept the correspondence theory of truth as being the
correct theory of truth, it follows that truth is objective rather than subjective.
● The truth of a proposition is determined at least partly by the beliefs of the person
expressing that proposition.
● It is completely independent of any person's beliefs.
● Truth being subjective means that the truth value of any proposition is dictated by what a
person thinks about that proposition.
● Examples
○ Jorge and Cecilia
■ Jorge
● He is a theist.
● He believes that God is true.
■ Cecilia
● She is an atheist.
● She does not believe in God.
■ Conversation between Jorge and Cecilia
● Jorge: Well, even if it's not true for you, Cecilia, that God exists,
it's true for me.
● Cecilia: It is not my truth that God exists, but it's clearly your truth
that God exists.
■ They try to convince each other to adopt the opposite belief.
 ■ They argue with each other and agree to disagree about whether or not
there is a God.
■ They were indicating that what they think is that the truth value of that
proposition “God exists” is dictated by what the person who is saying it
believes about it.
○ Greg and Paula.
■ Greg
● He is in Phoenix in the middle of August
● Greg: It is warm in Phoenix in August.
○ The proposition corresponds to reality.
■ Paula
● She is at the South pole in August.
● Paula: It is warm at the South Pole in August. (It is freezing cold at
the South Pole.)
○ The proposition is false because it is not that way in reality.
■ Both say it is warm at their locations.
■ This might look like a case of subjective truth because the truth value of
this sentence changes depending on who is saying it.
■ It doesn't matter what they believe.
■ The proposition's truth value is dictated by the fact that it matches reality,
and it's not dictated by what anyone thinks about it.
■ Propositions are the things that are true and false and not sentences,
● They are objectively true if they match reality and objectively false
if they do not match reality, and there's just no subjectivity to truth
whatsoever.