This volume is designed to set out some of the central issues in the theory of truth. It draws together, for the first time, the debates between philosophers who favor 'robust' or 'substantive' theories of truth, and those other, 'deflationist' or minimalists, who deny that such theories can be given. The editors provide a substantial introduction, in which they look at how the debates relate to further issues, such as the Liar paradox and formal truth theories.

This volume is designed to set out some of the central issues in the theory of truth. It begins with writings by F. H. Bradley, William James, Gottlob Frege, and Bertrand Russell, and continues with the classical discussions from the middle of the century, ending with contemporary contributions.

Simon Blackburn is Edna S. Koury Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His publications include Spreading the Word (OUP, 1984), The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (OUP, 1994), and Ruling Passions (OUP, 1998).

Keith Simmons is Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is author of Universality and the Liar: An Essay on Truth and the Diagonal Argument (CUP, 1993).

Introduction

PART I: BACKGROUND `ROBUST' THEORIES

1. On Truth and Copying, F. H. Bradley

2. The Nature of Truth, H. H. Joachim

3. Pragmatism's Conception of Truth, William James

4. William James's Conception of Truth, Bertrand Russell

PART II: EARLY MINIMALIST THEORIES

5. The Thought: A Logical Enquiry, Gottlob Frege

6. On Facts and Propositions, F. P. Ramsey

7. Philosophical Extracts, Ludwig Wittgenstein

8. The Semantic Conception of Truth, Alfred Tarski

9. Philosophy of Logic, W. V. Quine

PART III: THE EARLY MODERN DEBATE

10. Truth, J. L. Austin

11. Truth, P. F. Strawson

12. Unfair to Facts, J. L. Austin

PART IV: MODERN MINIMALISM AND DOUBTS ABOUT IT

13. Truth: A Traditional Debate Reviewed, Crispin Wright

14. The Minimalist Conception of Truth, Paul Horwich

15. Of What Kind of Thing is Truth a Property?, Michael Dummett

16. A Critique of Deflationism, Anil Gupta

17. The Folly of Trying to Define Truth, Donald Davidson

18. Pragmatism, Davidson, and Truth, Richard Rorty

19. Deflationist Views of Meaning and Content, Hartry Field

Notes on the Contributors; Select Bibliography; Index