Ways of approaching truth: tracing the source of inflationary theories of truth’s predicament

Abstract

Inflationary theories of truth are prone to the scope problem. This is the problem of identifying a single explanation that could cover the various statements that most of us are willing to accept as true. This problem can also be expressed in another way: Inflationary theories of truth find it difficult to identify a single property that all true statements share for them to belong to the class of true statements. In line with this, the paper seeks to trace the source of this predicament. It will be shown that the root of the problem extends back to the early beginnings of Western philosophy itself. In the process, I will offer a distinction that can help explain why inflationary theories of truth are prone to the scope problem. Put in quite general terms, it is argued that the very approach (or methodology) that these theories employ makes them prone to the scope problem.

Keywords:

esencialismo como enfoque (o metodología)

teorías inflacionarias de la verdad

problema de la verdad

problema del alcance

filosofía occidental

essentialism as an approach (or methodology)

inflationary theories of truth

problem of truth

scope problem

Western philosophy

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