Metaphysics - Ch. 4

(Originally written July 23, 2006 in Book 6)

Metaphysics - Peter van Inwagen
Ch. 4 - Objectivity

Objective truths are a major component of the common western metaphysic. It has two components:
1) Our beliefs or assumptions are either true or false
2) the World exists and has features independent of our beliefs or assumptions and are basically independent of the effect of our beliefs and assumptions

Objective truths deny the possibilities of "true for me and false for you" or "false for me but true for you".

The theory of objective truths does not imply that any one being is in charge of declaring what is true or what is false.

The theory of objective truths requires two qualifications:
1) Some of our utterances are meaningless, that is, neither true nor false
2) some of the words we use in arguments are vague by nature and our beliefs can therefore be vague sometimes. These are indeterminate beliefs

How can anyone deny the existence of objective truths?

Some may be hostile to anything that can judge them. They don't want anything or anyone to disprove them. This stance is hostile to the idea of a God. They are hostile to the idea of an objective universe that operates without consulting them for their opinions.

There are however, people who deny the existence of objective truth, but affirm the existence of God.

Anti-realists are philosophers who deny the existence of objective truths.

Idealism and anti-realism hold that nothing exists independently of minds, but in completely different ways. Anti-realism asserts that the World as we see it is shaped by the collective mind of humans. Anti-realism claims that objective truth and falsity does not exist (which is actually an objective truth).

Anti-realism is either self-defeating or completely truth-relative