Truth

A second, revised edition of the title originally published in 1990, which considers the philosophical theory about truth known as minimalism. The text is one of two volumes by the same author designed to demystify central philosophical issues, the second of which discusses Meaning.

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The notion of truth and falsity has long been central to analytic philosophy. Paul Horwich's book is an attempt to show that nothing could be more mundane, and less puzzling, than the concept of truth. Horwich proceeds from the assumption that the "redundancy" theory of truth, despite distinguished support from Frege, Wittgenstein, Ramsey, Ayer, Strawson and Quine, has never received coherent and full support. Showing that "minimalism" is the clearest formulation for the redundancy theory, he analyzes the familiar objects and indicates the major philosophical implications for it. This book is aimed at helping the deflationary view of truth gain the acceptance and provides a careful analysis of the philosophical debates around a canonically "philosophical" question.