Theories of Truth

Lesson 6
Was there a time that you believed someone /
something and ending up it was just a lie?
Learning Task 1:

THEORIES OF
TRUTH
"Kapag nalaglag ang kubiertos
mo habang kumakain may
darating na bisita."
Correspondence Theory of Truth

A belief is true if and only if, it corresponds

with something that exist in the world.
example:
1. There is a cat.
2. There is a mat.
3. The cat is on the mat.
"Manong bayad
nya daw po"
Coherence Theory of Truth

A belief is true if it coheres with a body of

other statements that we take to be true.
example:
1. A cat is a small domesticated carnivore that has a tail, with fur and walks
using its four legs.
2. A mat is a piece of fabric used as a protective covering on a floor or other
surface.
3. There is a cat on the mat.
"Distance = Speed x Time"
Pragmatic Theory of Truth

A belief is true if and only if a person

believing it helps them to achieve one or
more of there goals.
example:
1. We need to study hard to get good grades.
2. We need to work hard to get high paying jobs.
3. Earning a lot of money is the most important aspect in life.
Learning Task 2:

CRITICISMS TO
THE THEORIES OF
TRUTH
Correspondence Theory of Truth

"A Belief is True when we are able to

confirm it with reality"
A distinction must be made between
"Facts" & "Belief"

A Fact cannot be either True or False

A Belief is capable of being True or False
Coherence Theory of Truth

By simply checking if the statement or

beliefs agrees with the way things are, we
can know the truth

A belief can also be a part of a larger

system of further inaccurate descriptions of
reality.
Pragmatic Theory of Truth

A belief / statement is true if it has a

useful application in the world.
It is more appropriate to call it useful
rather than "TRUE"
A belief that is useful is not necessarily
TRUE, people do not typically use the
word TRUE to mean USEFUL