Michael Dummett's three John Dewey Lectures -- "The Concept of Truth," "Statements About the Past," and "The Metaphysics of Time" -- were delivered at Columbia University in the spring of 2002. Revised and expanded, the lectures are presented here along with two new essays by Dummett, "Truth: Deniers and Defenders" and "The Indispensability of the Concept of Truth."In Truth and the Past, Dummett clarifies his current positions on the metaphysical issue of realism and the philosophy of language. He is best known as a proponent of antirealism, which loosely characterizes truth as what we are capable of knowing. The events of the past and statements about them are critical tests of an antirealist position. These essays continue and significantly contribute to Dummett's work.
Recenzijos
"The best of all possible experiences, if you are interested in philosophy at all, would have been to hear Michael Dummett himself deliver these lectures. If, like myself, you missed that experience, the very next best is to read this volume. This is the work of a great philosopher at the peak of his form." -- Hilary Putnam "Since Dummett's lectures presented his most recent thinking about truth and the metaphysics of time, the publication of this book is a welcome event...recommended." "A stimulating discussion." -- James C. Livingston, The Review of Metaphysics
| Foreword by Akeel Bilgrami |
|
vii | |
| Preface |
|
ix | |
| 1 The Concept of Truth |
|
1 | (28) |
| 2 The Indispensability of the Concept of Truth |
|
29 | (12) |
| 3 Statements About the Past |
|
41 | (16) |
| 4 The Semantics of the Past Tense |
|
57 | |
| 5 The Metaphysics of Time |
|
7 | (90) |
| 6 Truth: Deniers and Defenders |
|
97 | (20) |
| Notes |
|
117 | (2) |
| Index |
|
119 | |
Michael Dummett, was until his retirement in 1992, the Wykeham Professor of Logic at Oxford. He has also taught at Accra, Stanford, Minnesota, Bologna, Princeton, and Harvard, among other universities. He is the author of numerous books, including The Seas of Language; Frege: Philosophy of Language; and Origins of Analytical Philosophy.
