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A pragmatic theory of truth and ontology
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Granger, Stewart Edward (1983) A pragmatic theory of truth and ontology. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b1462378~S1
Abstract
At the heart of my pragmatic theory of truth and ontology is a
view of the relation between language and reality which I term internal
justification: a way of explaining how sentences may have truth-values
which we cannot discover without invoking the need for the mystery of
a correspondence relation. The epistemology upon which the theory depend~
is fallibilist and holistic (chapter 2); places heavy reliance on
modal idioms (chapter 4); and leads to the conclusion that current
versions of realism and anti-realism are deficient (chapter 5). Just
as my theory avoids the need for an epistemic 'given', it avoids the
need for a metaphysical 'given' or 'joints'. I offer a view of the
nature of philosophy and what it can properly achieve with respect to
ontological questions (chapter 3); since those views lead me to believe
that philosophical discussion about what exists should be restricted to
'entities' discussed in non-philosophical contexts, my views on how
we should understand claims made about the existence of middle-sized
physical objects (chapters 2 and 6), theoretical entities in science
(chapter 6), and abstract entities in mathematics (chapter 7), give
the thesis a schematic completeness. My theory leads me to a conception
of inquiry which defends the cognitive status of moral statements whilst
being critical of Kantian and utilitarian approaches to morality
(chapter 8). Chapter 1 explores the views of my closest philosophical
allies: William James and Nelson Goodman.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Truth, Philosophy, Ontology | ||||
Official Date: | November 1983 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | Department of Philosophy | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Haack, Susan | ||||
Extent: | 290 leaves | ||||
Language: | eng |
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