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Dictionary definition: coherence theory of truth
- Article from:
- The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
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Copyright© The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information)
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coherence theory of truth
The view that the truth of a proposition consists in its being a member of some suitably defined body of other propositions: a body that is consistent, coherent, and possibly endowed with other virtues, provided these are not defined in terms of truth. The theory, though surprising at first sight, has two strengths: (i) we test beliefs for truth in the light of other beliefs (including perceptual beliefs); (ii) we cannot step outside our own best system of belief, to see how well it is doing in terms of correspondence with the world. To many thinkers the ...