A Defense of Russell’s Early Correspondence Theory of Truth
Abstract
Theories of truth concern the truth of sentences or beliefs. They either try to give the definition of “truth” or explain the role or the function of the truth-predicate in ordinary language. The correspondence theory of truth has a long tradition and is perhaps the most famous theory of truth. The correspondence theory of truth is consistent with our ordinary intuitions. It claims that a sentence is true if and only if it corresponds to a fact. There is a version of the correspondence theory of truth advocated by Bertrand Russell that I want to defend in this thesis. In particular, I want to defend Russell’s multiple-relation theory of judgment. The correspondence theory of truth faces difficulties because of the problems of giving a clear account of the nature of a fact and of the correspondence relation. Moreover, since the correspondence theory claims that a true sentence corresponds to a fact, it certainly has to face the challenge of the slingshot argument which attempts to show that all true sentences correspond to the same fact.
I would like to show Russell’s multiple-relation theory of judgment can answer the objections to the traditional correspondence theory of truth. Russell’s early correspondence theory of truth also faces some difficulties, but these difficulties can also be solved. I conclude, therefore, that Russell’s multiple-relation theory of judgment provides a clear and satisfactory account of truth-as-correspondence.
Key Words: Russell, truth, correspondence, multiple-relation, facts, complex, belief, the slingshot argument
中文摘要
語句或是信念的真假是真理理論所關注的問題。真理理論或者試圖定義「真」是什麼，或者試圖解釋「真」在我們的日常語句中所扮演的角色或功能。符應的真理理論可說是最著名而且具有悠久歷史的真理理論。它的主張非常符合我們日常的直覺。符應理論宣稱一個語句為真若且為若它符應到一個事實。我將在我的論文裡為羅素所主張的真理理論辯護，特別是羅素的判斷的多重關係理論。符應理論因為無法為事實的本質與符應關係提供明確的說明而面臨許多難題。另外，符應理論既然主張一個真的語句會符應到一個事實，那麼它當然也會面臨到彈指論證的挑戰：亦即，所有真的語句會符應到相同的事實。
然而羅素的判斷的多重關係理論卻可以解決傳統符應的真理理論所面臨到的困難。雖然羅素自己的符應理論也面臨一些問題，但是這些問題都是可以解決的。我認為羅素的判斷的多重關係理論作為符應的真理理論可以為「真」提供清楚且令人滿意的說明。
關鍵字：羅素，真，符應，多重關係，事實，複合物，信念，彈指論證