Russell's Complex Correspondence Theory of Truth

"When an act of believing occurs, there is a complex, in which `believing' is the uniting relation, and subject [e.g. Jill] and objects [e.g., Paul, being dead] are arranged in a certain order by the `sense' of the relation of believing." (P 194a)

When the belief is true, there is another complex unity, in which the relation which was one of the objects of the belief [e.g. being dead] relates the other objects [e.g. Paul]." (P 194b)

"On the other hand, when a belief is false, there is no such complex unity [e.g. Paul being dead] composed only of the objects of the belief. (P 194b)

Thus a belief is true when it corresponds to a certain associated complex, and false when it does not.


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Richard Lee, rlee@uark.edu, last modified: 27 February 2003