• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Philosophy Professor logo

PhilosophyProfessor.com

  • Philosophers
  • Philosophies

pragmatic (or pragmatist) theory of truth

American scientist and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) defined truth as ‘the opinion which is fated to be ultimately agreed to by all who investigate’ (see Buchler).

His disciple William James (1842-1910) held that truth was indeed agreement with reality, but that what counted as ‘agreeing with reality’ was what worked, in the sense of ultimately satisfying us. He even allowed that our emotions could legitimately influence this (also see: emotive theory of truth).

The theory is particularly tempting in the advanced sciences, where any kind of simple correspondence with reality seems to be precluded by the nature of the concepts and methods involved.

Source:
J Buchler, ed., The Philosophy of Peirce (1940), 38;
W James, The Meaning of Truth (1909)

Table of Contents

    • 0.1 Related:
  • 1 Videos
  • 2 Related Products
    • 2.1 The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America

Related:

  • performative (or ditto) theory of truth
  • emotive theory of truth
  • pragmatism
  • correspondence theory of truth
  • truth theory

  • Videos

  • Related Products

     
    The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America

    The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America

    • Louis Menand
    • movements
    • philosophy
    • Menand, Louis (Author)
    • English (Publication Language)
    • 576 Pages - 04/10/2002 (Publication Date) - Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Publisher)
    Check Price on Amazon
  • Last update 2020-06-17. Price and product availability may change.

    parsimony principle

    interactionism

    nominalism

    denotation and connotation

    realism

    • Contact
    • Facebook

    Copyright © 2023 · CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. “AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.”