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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

"The meaning of Truth" by William James,1909


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An idea is true if it works ;
truth happens to an idea ;
the true is whatever is expedient in the way of thinking.
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In answer to the objection that such a theory makes truth a function of attitude so that truth has nothing to do with reality,the critics are reminded that knowledge depends on immediate,perceptual experience (brute facts) and on the satisfactory use of concepts.
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A concept (proposition) is true if it is such that,if acted upon,what one would receive perceptually is what one expects ; in this sense,a true proposition satisfies an expectation.
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No idea is satisfactory unless it works in such a way as actually to put the person who counts on the idea into a harmonious relationship with reality.
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Although satisfaction is subjective,it can be a sign of objective truth.
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