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There are three major theories of truth.
Correspondence theory of truth. According to this theory, true statements are those that correspond to the way the world actually is.
So in order for the statement 'I am 17 years old' to be true, I must in fact have been born 17 years ago.
Coherence theory of truth. On the coherence theory, true statements are those that cohere with our other justified beliefs.
So for 'I am 17 years old' to be true it must cohere with other beliefs like 'I was born after 1989', 'I have not yet had a 21st birthday party', 'I am not still in primary school', 'I have not yet retired'...
Pragmatic theory of truth. This theory holds that true statements are those that work for us and meet our needs better than their alternatives.
So for 'I am 17 years old' to be true it must be useful for me to believe that - that is, this statement best justifies my action or promotes success for me.
Let's try a practice exercise...
Use these boxes to create a grouping map that (1) shows the key elements of each truth theories and then (2) shows an example of each theory's elements.
Drag this image onto the workspace to proceed. You must be using the inbuilt browser in Rationale 1.3 or later.
After you've finished this exercise drag this thumbnail onto the workspace to see the model answer:
This material has been developed independently of the International Baccalaureate, which in no way endorses it.
© Austhink 2013. Rationale Exercises version 0.1, Jan-13
