Why Truth?

Theories of Truth1

Pre-modern to Post-modern man

1. Correspondence theory of truth – truth is what corresponds to reality. Aristotle held to this. “To say of what is that it is and say not of what is not…that is truth.”

*Chart 7 in Dr. Mitchell’s book.

2. Coherence theory of truth – truth is what you have when you have a coherent system of beliefs without contradiction. Q# What is the difference between the coherence theory of truth and the correspondence of truth? = WITH THIS ONE, YOU CAN DENY REALITY. It may reflect reality, but it doesn’t have to.

-This theory of truth is tied to epistemology.

*THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

-If the Bible does not correspond to reality, then we are just wasting our time.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the word because Your Word is truth.”

3. Pragmatic theory of truth – “Truth is what works for me; yet my truth is better because it works for me.” It is totally subjective.

-This theory is also tied to epistemology.

4. Semantic theory – It tries to accurately reflect our empirical experience. It is unconcerned with reality.

This theory is tied to philosophy of language.

Premodernity

• Begins before recorded history and extends until 1600 A.D.
• The first area it is concerned with is metaphysics. It holds to a correspondence theory of truth.
• It is teleological because you would be a metaphysical realist. Man’s ability to reason and his “socialness” separates him from animals. The community comes before the individual. = They are concerned about the good of the COMMUNITY first. RESPONSIBILITIES always came before RIGHTS.
• The community is seen as a legitimate source of knowledge. As a result, certain things become very important = Traditions are seen as legitimate sources of knowledge. CREEDS are also sources of knowledge.

*Baptists are non-creedal people. Yeah right. We subscribe to the Council of Chalcedon, and Constantinople.

• Aristotle saw everything as set in motion with the Primary and Unmoved Mover. He is Eternal, immaterial. Very interesting. = Aristotle, like other pre-moderns, simply assumes the existence of God. = Scripture, because it comes from God, is seen as inerrant, sufficient and altogether true.

Point = You have a hermeneutic of Trust.

Modern Period 1600-1950

• 1^st philosophy in the modern period is epistemology. You have the British empiricists and the continental rationalists.

-Empiricists believe that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience.

-Rationalists believe that knowledge comes primarily through reason.

Something that happens to their metaphysics is that they are nominalists. Q# So what happens to their ethics? They become deontological.

Point = Each of these groups comes up with rules based on NOTHING. They are based on anything but metaphysics.

• Whereas the pre-moderns are communal, the moderns are very individualistic. Whereas responsibilities came before rights, now rights come before responsibility.
• Q# What does this do to God? It at least makes Him cloudy. If knowledge is by sensory experience, what do you do with God? Most of them simply ignored God. The Word of God then becomes simply literature.
• The Coherence theory of truth is first propagated.

Point = You have a hermeneutic of DOUBT.

Postmodernity 1950-present

• 1st philosophy is still epistemology.
• Postmodernity is like modernity on steroids. It only gets worse.
• Don’t believe that you can actually KNOW anything. With this, comes the idea that there is no objective truth. It ends with a pragmatic view of truth. “You can’t tell me I’m wrong and force your system of truth on me.”
• No objective truth or morality!
• The community now comes back as the determinant of truth.

Point = You have a hermeneutic of SUSPICION

1 (Ethics & Public Policy – CNETH 4373-A, Winter 2007, Dr. Craig Mitchell)