Truth: The Basics

Truth: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to philosophical theories about the nature of truth. The two authors – leading philosophers in this field – build the book around a single question: what, if anything, is common to all truths, which makes them true? The book explores five important answers (‘theories’) to the given question: correspondence, semantic, verifiability, transparency, and plurality. For each given theory the following questions are addressed: • What is the theory’s answer to the central question? • What is the basic motivation behind that answer? • What is a precise argument for that answer? • What are the biggest objections to that answer? • What are a few good resources for understanding more about the theory? An additional chapter provides an extensive introduction to the notorious liar paradox. Truth: The Basics is an ideal starting point for anyone seeking a lively and accessible introduction to the rich and complex philosophical study of truth. Key Features:> Written in a clear and concise fashion. > Clearly explains five major theories of truth for an uninitiated readership of undergraduate students and general readers. > Prepares the reader to tackle more advanced work in truth studies. > Makes connections between truth and other areas of philosophy, including the philosophy of language, semantics, metaphysics, logic and epistemology. > Includes technical appendices for more advanced readers.