What is truth? What value should we see in or attribute to it? The war over the meaning and utility of truth is at the center of contemporary philosophical debate, and its arguments have rocked the foundations of philosophical practice. In this book, the American pragmatist Richard Rorty and the French analytic philosopher Pascal Engel present their radically different perspectives on truth and its correspondence to reality. Rorty doubts that the notion of truth can be of any practical use and points to the preconceptions that lie behind truth in both the intellectual and social spheres. Engel prefers a realist conception, defending the relevance and value of truth as a norm of belief and inquiry in both science and the public domain. Rorty finds more danger in using the notion of truth than in getting rid of it. Engel thinks it is important to hold on to the idea that truth is an accurate representation of reality. In Rorty's view, epistemology is an artificial construct meant to restore a function to philosophy usurped by the success of empirical science. Epistemology and ontology are false problems, and with their demise goes the Cartesian dualism of subject and object and the ancient problematic of appearance and reality. Conventional "philosophical problems," Rorty asserts, are just symptoms of the professionalism that has disfigured the discipline since the time of Kant. Engel, however, is by no means as complacent as Rorty in heralding the "end of truth," and he wages a fierce campaign against the "veriphobes" who deny its value. What's the Use of Truth? is a rare opportunity to experience each side of this impassioned debate clearly and concisely. It is a subject that has profound implications not only for philosophical inquiry but also for the future study of all aspects of our culture.

What's the Use of Truth?

Politics & Social Sciences

Rorty, Richard

Engel, Pascal

Philosophy

Columbia University Press

Frank Ramsey: Truth and Success

Despite his tragic death at the age of 26, Frank Ramsey (1903 - 1930) remains one of the most intriguing minds of the twentieth century. His thought had a profound influence on both Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell, and many strands of contemporary analytic philosophy find their origin in Ramsey's ideas. Frank Ramsey: Truth and Success provides a much-needed introduction to the work of this undervalued thinker, and makes an important and profound contribution to our understanding of Ramsey's work and his place in twentieth century philosophy. It will be of interest to all students of logic, metaphysics and the history of philosophy.

Dokic, Jérôme

Routledge

The Norm Of Truth: An Introduction To The Philosophy Of Logic

Harvester/Wheatsheaf

Truth (Volume 4) (Central Problems of Philosophy)

Engel argues that, although the minimalist conception of truth is basically right, it does not follow that truth can be eliminated from our philosophical thinking, as is claimed by some radical deflationists. In particular, he shows that some deflationist views have a definitively relativist and "postmodernist" ring and should be rejected. Even if a metaphysically substantive theory of truth has little chance to succeed, he argues, truth plays a central role as a norm or guiding value of our rational inquiries and practices in the philosophy of knowledge and in ethics.

McGill-Queen's University Press

The Norm of Truth: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Logic (Toronto Studies in Philosophy)

Univ of Toronto Pr

University of Toronto Press

Truth (Central Problems of Philosophy)

Pascal Engel offers this concise presentation and discussion of contemporary philosophical issues in the theory of truth. After a brief presentation of the classical conceptions of truth (correspondentist, coherentist, verificationist and pragmatist) the study focuses upon the debate between those who favour substantive conceptions of this classical kind and those who advocate so-called minimalist and deflationist conceptions, and who deny that truth can be any more than a thin concept, carrying no metaphysical weight. The author argues that, although the minimalist conception of truth is basically right, it does not follow that truth can be eliminated from our philosophical thinking, as it is claimed by some upholders of radical deflationist views. It is argued, in particular, that some deflationist views have a definitely relativist and postmodernist ring and should be rejected. Even if a metaphysical substantive theory of truth has little chance to succeed, the author argues, truth can keep a central role within our thinking, as a norm or guiding value of our rational inquiries and practices, in the philosophy of knowledge and in ethics.

Pascal Engel offers this concise presentation and discussion of contemporary philosophical issues in the theory of truth. After a brief presentation of the classical conceptions of truth (correspondentist, coherentist, verificationist and pragmatist) the study focuses upon the debate between those who favour substantive conceptions of this classical kind and those who advocate so-called minimalist and deflationist conceptions, and who deny that truth can be any more than a thin concept, carrying no metaphysical weight. The author argues that, although the minimalist conception of truth is basically right, it does not follow that truth can be eliminated from our philosophical thinking, as it is claimed by some upholders of radical deflationist views. It is argued, in particular, that some deflationist views have a definitely relativist and postmodernist ring and should be rejected. Even if a metaphysical substantive theory of truth has little chance to succeed, the author argues, truth can keep a central role within our thinking, as a norm or guiding value of our rational inquiries and practices, in the philosophy of knowledge and in ethics.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Engel, Pascal. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Engel, Pascal

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Engel, Pascal. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

What's the Use of Truth?

What's the Use of Truth?

Frank Ramsey: Truth and Success

The Norm Of Truth: An Introduction To The Philosophy Of Logic

Truth (Volume 4) (Central Problems of Philosophy)

Truth (Volume 4) (Central Problems of Philosophy)

The Norm of Truth: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Logic (Toronto Studies in Philosophy)

The Norm of Truth: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Logic (Toronto Studies in Philosophy)

Truth (Central Problems of Philosophy)

Truth (Central Problems of Philosophy)