Truth, Absolutism, & Relativism (Simon Blackburn)

source: Philosophical Overdose     2013年1月21日
Simon Blackburn gives a talk on the notion of truth and some of the philosophical approaches, as well as the anti-epistemological postmodern climate. According to one kind of view, our beliefs or statements are true insofar as they "mirror" or correspond to an independent external reality. Others understand the notion of truth differently, as an internal coherence of fitting with other beliefs, or alternatively as what simply works -- a useful tool for coping with the world ("coping not copying" as Richard Rorty liked to say, since he rejected the notion of representation altogether). However, each of these kinds of theories has its own serious problems. In opposition to both absolutism and relativism, Blackburn presents a minimalist or deflationary view, which falls within the pragmatist tradition. He also spends much time discussing the work of Richard Rorty.
This talk was given at the University of Toronto, in 2005. I don't own it.