Theories of Truth “The sole philosophy open to those who doubt the possibility of truth is absolute silence – even mental.” – Jacques Maritain The “Correspondence” Theory: the oldest, best-known theory argues that there is a relationship – a “correspondence” – between people’s internal beliefs and the things in the world around them; truth results when one’s beliefs and perceptions “correspond” to the “real world” truth (and falsehood) can’t exist without beliefs – a world without thoughts, in which only matter exists, is a world in which “truth” is meaningless promoted by Russell; others argue it is too limited and covers only a narrow range of possible “truth” situations The “Coherence” Theory: argues that a belief is true if it is consistent with an existing belief or body of knowledge fits well with science, where theories are adopted or abandoned depending on how well they “fit” (or explain) the facts promoted by Hegel; others argue it cannot guarantee truth, but only that a system of thought “hangs together” The “Pragmatic” Theory: argues that a belief is true if it “works”: i.e. it is useful in helping one successfully meet and solve the problems in life also fits well with science, where theories are valued mainly depending on their ability to predict useful results promoted by James, Peirce, and Dewey; others (e.g. Rorty) argue that truth and “usefulness” are not the same thing