Pragmatic Truth • 4
•
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2024/07/13/pragmatic-truth-4/
Truth Theories —
Theories of truth may be described according to several dimensions
of description affecting the character of the predicate “true”.
The truth predicates used in different theories may be classified
according to the number of things which have to be taken into account
in order to evaluate the truth of a sign, counting the sign itself as
the first thing. The number of dimensions is sometimes called the
“arity” or “adicity” of the truth predicate.
• A truth predicate is “monadic” if it applies to its main subject,
typically a concrete representation or its abstract content,
independently of reference to anything else. In that case one
may think of a truth bearer as being true in and of itself.
• A truth predicate is “dyadic” if it applies to its main subject
only in reference to something else, a second subject. Most commonly,
the ancillary subject is either an “object”, an “interpreter”, or
a “language” to which the representation bears a specified relation.
• A truth predicate is “triadic” if it applies to its main subject
only in reference to a second and a third subject. For example,
in a pragmatic theory of truth one has to specify both the “object”
of the sign and either its interpreter or another sign called its
“interpretant”. In that case, one says the sign is true “of” its
object “to” its interpreting agent or sign.
There are practical considerations we need to keep in mind when
contemplating such radically simple schemes of classification.
Real‑world practice seldom presents us with pure cases and ideal
types. There are many settings where it is useful to speak of
a truth theory as “almost” k‑adic or to say it “would be” k‑adic
if certain details are abstracted away and neglected in a particular
context of discussion. That said, given the generic division of
truth predicates according to their dimensionality, further species
may be differentiated within each genus according to a number of
more refined features.
The truth predicate in a correspondence theory of truth tells of a
relation between representations and objective states of affairs and
is therefore expressed by a dyadic predicate. In general terms, one
says a representation is true of an objective situation, more briefly,
a sign is true of an object. The nature of the correspondence may vary
from theory to theory in this family. The correspondence can be fairly
arbitrary or it can take on the character of an “analogy”, an “icon”,
or a “morphism”, where a representation is rendered true of its object
by the existence of corresponding elements and a similar structure.
Resources —
Logic Syllabus
•
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/logic-syllabus/
Pragmatic Maxim
•
https://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2023/08/07/pragmatic-maxim-a/
Truth Theory
•
https://oeis.org/wiki/Truth_theory
Pragmatic Theory Of Truth • Document History
•
https://oeis.org/wiki/Pragmatic_Theory_Of_Truth
•
https://oeis.org/wiki/Pragmatic_Theory_Of_Truth#Document_history
Correspondence Theory Of Truth
•
https://oeis.org/wiki/Correspondence_Theory_Of_Truth
Regards,
Jon
cc:
https://www.academia.edu/community/VodyB4