The Coherence Theory of Truth: Realism, Anti-Realism, Idealism

By: Ralph C.S. Walker

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Synopsis: First published in 1988. Clarifies the coherence theory and critically discusses the standard objections to it as well as those who can be interpreted as advocating it. This book should be of interest to students of philosophy and epistemology and professional philosophers. In the view of the author, contemporary philosophy the coherence theory of truth occupies rather an odd position. On the one hand a number of textbook arguments against it are widely accepted, arguments which make it look as though the theory is hardly worth serious attention. On the other hand some of the principal currents of philosophical thought seem to be flowing away from the traditional conception of truth and towards a different conception, one which some of its supporters and some of its detractors have recognized as taking truth to consist in coherence. In the first two chapters the author tries to clarify what the coherence theory is (and is not), to show that it deserves serious attention, and to exhibit the pressures that can drive one towards it. Also attempted is to show how it relates to various other things that philosophers have said about truth, and also to idealism and anti-realism.