THE UNDEFINABILITY OF TRUTH IN FREGE AND TRUTH AS THE GOAL OF LOGIC:
AN ANALYSIS BASED ON FREGE'S "DER GEDANKE"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7443/problemata.v17i1.75032Keywords:
truth, undefinability, simplicity, logicAbstract
This article examines the indefinability of truth in Frege, especially in Der Gedanke, and its relation to the notion of truth as the goal of Logic. It argues that Frege’s primary aim is not to construct a theory of truth, but to develop Logic as a normative, autonomous science distinct from Psychology. In this context, truth cannot be defined without incurring vicious regress or circularity, as seen in criticisms of the correspondence theory. The article emphasizes the simplicity, sui generis character, and circularity of truth, showing that it cannot be reduced or replaced by any other notion without conceptual loss. The so-called “equivalence thesis” shows that the adjective “true” adds nothing to the content of a thought, and it is the assertoric form that gives it logical status. Finally, it is argued that although truth is indefinable, it remains the goal of Logic, since Logic aims to describe the conditions under which an assertion is justified. This science, therefore, grounds the objective recognition of truth without needing to define it directly.
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References
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