Ill 



TRUTH l 



ARGUMENT 



Importance of the question What is Truth, ? when not asked rhetorically. 



I. Answers logical, (i) Truth as agreement with reality. Breaks 

 down over the question of the knowledge of this agreement. (2) Truth 

 as systematic coherence. Open to objections on the ground (i) that not 

 all systems are true ; (2) no system is true ; (3) many systems are true ; (4) 

 truth even if system, is more than system, (i) How about systematic 

 falsehood? (2) How about the imperfection of all actual systems? (3) 

 Howabout the possibility of alternative systems? (4)Howabout systems not 

 accepted as true because distasteful, and agreeable truth accepted without 

 being systematic ? Is this last argument an invalid appeal to psychology ? 

 No, for there is no pure thought, and without psychological interest, 

 etc., thought could neither progress nor be described. The psychological 

 side of system and coherence. The necessity of immediate appre 

 hension. Coherence feelings. The infinite regress in inference, if its 

 immediacy be denied. Non-logical coherence. Interest as the cement 

 of coherence. 



II. Answers psychological. Question as to (i) the psychical nature 

 of the recognition of truth ; (2) the objects to which this recognition is 

 referred, (i) Truth as a form of value. Valuation at first random and 

 individual. The ultimateness of the truth - valuation. Meaning of 

 simple and complex for a pragmatist psychology. Truth-valuation 

 simple for logic. 



III. (2) Objectivity of truth. Truth and fact, formal as a means 

 to material truth. Subjective truth-valuations gradually organized (i) 

 into subordination to individual, (2) into conformity with social ends. 

 Usefulness as the principle of selection and criterion of truth. Need for 

 the social recognition of truth. Special cases explained. 



Of all philosophic questions that of Truth is perhaps 

 the most hackneyed and unanswerable, when treated in 

 the usual fashion. Now the usual fashion is to indulge 

 either in ecstatic rhapsodies about the sacredness of 



1 This paper was written for this volume in order to complete, with Axioms 

 as Postulates and the two essays which precede it, the outline of a pragmatist 

 theory of knowledge. It will be observed that although these four papers do 

 not of course claim to be exhaustive, they supplement one another. 



44 



