equivalence thesis

<logic> the equivalence thesis states that, for any proposed notion of truth, each instance of the schema "S is true if and only if P" resulting from the substitution of a translation of the sentence designated by S for P, is true. This thesis is often taken to be a minimal requirement on any notion of truth.

Note that the equivalence thesis does not presuppose a correspondence notion of truth. For example, deflationary notions of truth, such as the Quinian "disquotational" notion, satisfy the equivalence thesis.

References

Dummett, Michael (1978). Truth and Other Enigmas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Devitt, Michael (1984). Realism and Truth. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Whit Schonbein <whit@twinearth.wustl.edu>

Chris Eliasmith - [Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind] Homepage

<2001-03-16>

Try this search on OneLook / Google


Nearby terms: equivalence class « equivalence class partitioning « equivalence relation « equivalence thesis » equivalent sets » equivocal » equivocation