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Simon Blackburn

Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed

Philosophers have always been wary of the idea of 'absolute truth', but can one express a reasonable scepticism and yet avoid the 'anything goes' of postmodernism? In 'Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed', Simon Blackburn guides the reader through such issues. The book is based on a series of eight Gifford lectures that Blackburn gave in Glasgow in 2004. As such it is more of a discussion of the issues, rather than trying to give any definite answers, although at the end Blackburn does express a hope that those arguing about such issues will find much more common ground.

Blackburn looks at what has been said by a great many philosophers, and in particular he criticises those who have gone in for excessive relativism, for example Nietzsche and Richard Rorty. He shows that such relativism always seems to claim more than it can deliver - it leads to contradictory talk somewhere along the line. Blackburn's own position seems to be closest to what he calls minimalism - there is no difference between saying 'X is true' and just saying 'X', and so much of the argument is pointless. Overall I would say that if you want a gentle guide to these often contentious philosophical issues then you will find this to be a very thought-provoking book.

Amazon.com info
Paperback 272 pages  
ISBN: 0141014253
Salesrank: 680293
Weight:0.44 lbs
Published: 2006 Penguin Books Ltd
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Paperback 272 pages  
ISBN: 0141014253
Salesrank: 70675
Weight:0.44 lbs
Published: 2006 Penguin Books Ltd
Amazon price £6.99
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Paperback 272 pages  
ISBN: 0141014253
Salesrank:
Weight:0.44 lbs
Published: 2006 Penguin UK
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Product Description
This volume is designed to set out some of the central issues in the theory of truth. It draws together, for the first time, the debates between philosophers who favor 'robust' or 'substantive' theories of truth, and those other, 'deflationist' or minimalists, who deny that such theories can be given. The editors provide a substantial introduction, in which they look at how the debates relate to further issues, such as the Liar paradox and formal truth theories.
 
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth *****
This is a very useful collection of 20. century writings about veritatis natura, the nature of truth. But instead of a textbook introduction to the key thinkers and basic theories (such as R.L. Kirkham's Theories of Truth: A Critical Introduction) we get ipsissima verba, their very own words.

Often it proves too complicated and difficult for the beginner to get an overview of a debate by reading the original articles and therefore he will benefit from reading an introductory textbook first. This is not the case here. Although some of the articles in this volume can be quite technical, Krikham's introduction is no less technical, and in my oppinion, this volume is the superior introduction for the beginner, while Kirkham's otherwise excellent book is recommended for the more advanced student of philosophy.

This volume contains classic readings by authors such as William James, Bertrand Russell, Gottlob Frege, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Alfred Tarski, W.V.O. Quine, Peter Strawson, J.L. Austin, Paul Horwich, Michael Dummett, Donald Davidson, Anil Gupta and Richard Rorty to name a few. I think it is fair to say that most, if not all significant theories of truth advanced in the 20. century are covered in this volume. There is also an introduction by Simon Blackburn and Keith Simmons (the editors), which helps to put things into perspective. There is also a select bibliography which serves as a suggestion for further reading. My only complaint is that the book's index could be better.

If you are interested in theories of truth or the philosophy of language, you should buy this book.

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