The Correspondence Theory of Truth: Pragmatism and Epistemological Implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v14i1.8843Keywords:
Epistemology, Correspondence Theory of Truth, Inter-Subjective Agreement, Objective Verification, Phenomenological Knowledge, Scientific ProgressAbstract
This paper argues that the Correspondence Theory of Truth provides the most comprehensive and coherent model for understanding truth across diverse disciplines. Through a pragmatic approach, the paper analyses the theory’s applications in science, institutions, and the evolutionary development of human cognition. Through detailed analysis, the historical significance, practical viability, and explanatory power of the correspondence model are highlighted, offering a robust lens for interpreting reality. Counter arguments such as for relativistic truth are critically evaluated to highlight the limitations of alternative theories. Furthermore, the paper explores the implications of correspondence theory for Epistemology, proposing a unified framework for knowledge. This analysis contributes to the ongoing discourse on the nature of truth and its relationship to human understanding.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
Parmenides. (1920). On nature: Fragments (J. Burnet, Trans.). In Early Greek philosophy (3rd ed.). Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67097/pg67097-images.html
Cohen, S. M., & Reeve, C. D. C. (2021). Aristotle’s metaphysics. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2021/entries/aristotle-metaphysics
David, M. (2016). The correspondence theory of truth. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/truth-correspondence/
Fain, H. (1961). Karl R. Popper: The logic of scientific discovery (J. Freed & L. Freed, Trans.). New York: Basic Books. (Original work published 1959). Philosophy of Science, 28(3), 319–324. https://doi.org/10.1086/287817
Bikfalvi, A. (2023). The Notion of Truth in Sciences and Medicine, Why it Matters and Why We Must Defend It. European Review, 31(5), 498–509. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1062798723000261
Patterson, D. (2003). What Is a Correspondence Theory of Truth? Synthese, 137(3), 421–444. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20118369
Festinger, L. (1962). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press. https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Theory_of_Cognitive_Dissonance/voeQ-8CASacC?hl=en&gbpv=0
Rasmussen, J. (2018). Truth, correspondence theory of. In The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780415249126-N064-2
American Judges Association. (2007, September, 26). Procedural fairness and public satisfaction. https://www.amjudges.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/96627/Procedural-Fairness-and-Public-Satisfaction.pdf
iResearchNet. (n.d.). Ethical standards in criminal justice. https://criminal-justice.iresearchnet.com/criminal-justice-process/legal-and-ethical-issues/ethical-standards-in-criminal-justice/
Mirra, N., Kelly, L. L., & Garcia, A. (2021). Beyond fake news: Culturally relevant media literacies for a fractured civic landscape. Theory Into Practice, 60(4), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2021.1983316
Alaska Native Justice Center. (2024, September). Tribal courts presentation [PowerPoint slides]. https://anjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tribal-Courts-Presentation.pdf
Lynch, M. P. (2009). Truth as One and Many. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218738.001.0001
Habermas, J. (1984). The theory of communicative action (Vol. 1): Reason and the rationalization of society (T. McCarthy, Trans.). Beacon Press. (Original work published 1981). https://philpapers.org/rec/HABTTO-4
Gettier, E. (1963). Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? Analysis, 23, 121-123. https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/23.6.121
Heidegger, M. (1996). Being and Time (J. Stambaugh, Trans.). SUNY Press. (Original work published 1927). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e265eb50aee2d7e8a81ae69/t/5ff53543c7ad4a23cf2a2174/1609905481509/Being+and+Time+Stambaugh+Reduced.pdf
Davidson, D. (2001). Subjective, intersubjective, objective: Philosophical essays, volume 3. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/0198237537.002.0001
Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Contextual behavioral science: Creating a science more adequate to the challenge of the human condition. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 1(1-2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2012.09.004
Leary, M. R. (2004). Through the eyes of the ego. In The curse of the self: Self-awareness, egotism, and the quality of human life (online ed., Oxford Academic). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172423.003.0003
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2025 Aran A. Grant; Stuart Forrester

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.


