Understanding Different Perspectives on Truth

Truth as Correspondence

The theory of truth as correspondence rests on two assumptions: first, that there is a reality independent of thought, and second, that this reality can be known. This aligns with empiricist and realistic theories of knowledge.

Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas held this view, stating that truth is the correspondence between the intellect and the thing. Russell later refined this theory, proposing an isomorphism between reality and thought. Tarski emphasized the mediating role of language in the process of knowledge.

Truth as Coherence

Theories of truth as coherence are favored by rationalistic or idealistic thinkers like Spinoza, Leibniz, and Hegel. These theories operate at a linguistic level, focusing on the relationships between signs within a system.

The truth or falsity of a statement is determined by its consistency with other propositions within a theory, rather than by comparison with the external world. Its validity depends on its relationship with other utterances within the system.

Truth as Disclosure

Theories of truth as disclosure propose that truth resides within reality itself, and the subject's role is to uncover and reveal it. This approach originated with Parmenides and was further developed by Heidegger. The goal is to allow knowledge to be displayed through discourse.

Truth as Consensus

Some theories define truth as a consensus, situated within the relationships between subjects. Durkheim argued that the distinction between true and false is a matter of social agreement or disagreement.

Habermas believes that a good definition of truth must include intersubjective aspects, typical of community life. Truth is the product of a community of individuals in active relationship through a common discourse.

Pragmatic Truth

The pragmatic conception of truth asserts that what is useful in practice is true. Peirce argued that a statement is true when it persists in its assertion of truth using the scientific method. He considered the scientific method the most reliable way to reach a consensus of opinion.

Truth as a Perspective: Hermeneutics

This perspective considers the conditions from which the subject seeks and establishes truth. According to Ortega y Gasset, truth can only be obtained by combining the perspectives of all individuals. The truth depends on a variety of prejudices that enable understanding of the world. The truth has an existential character, emerging in dialogue and resulting from an agreement, the fusion of the subjects' horizons.