Robinson, Jonathan

2019-02-15T14:19:04Z

2019-02-15T14:19:04Z

1953

The purpose of this thesis is to expound the coherence theory of truth as found in Bradley's philosophy, and the aim of this chapter is to illustrate the general shape and emphasis of Bradley's thought by outlining some of the important points in his ethical theory. That is, while his work is by no means a tightly organized system, nonetheless his writings do possess certain common features and show a fairly consistent orientation towards philosophical problems; and, consequently, if we take one part of his thought and describe it in general we will be able to detect certain principles which will serve to guide us through the more detailed analysis of subsequent chapters. We will examine these principles below, but in the meantime we will make some remarks on the aim of this thesis.

The title, that is 'The Coherence Theory of Truth in Bradley's PhilosophyI suggests that we have two purposes. The first of these being an account of the coherence theory in general, and the second a descrip¬ tion of its particular form in Bradley's work. This supposition is correct to the extent that the historical background of Bradley's thought can illuminate his own position. let if our historical background is incomplete we have not thus imperfectly fulfilled our first task, for in discussing Bradley's own theory we are at the same time discussing the coherence theory; that is, the theory does not live by itself in some remote heaven apart from its particular embodiments in the work of different philosophers. Thus even if the theory has had a long history it is not something apart from Bradley's work, and this means that our two purposes will for the most part be identical.

Nevertheless, they do diverge to the extent that Bradley introduced radical innovations into the traditional view, and these innovations can only be understood to be such when at least something of the historical background is presented. Thus, in spite of the fact that in discussing Bradley's work we are ipso facto discussing the co¬ herence theory of truth, this study will be at least facilitated if we are enabled to appreciate something of the philosophical context in which he wrote, and the problems set him by the history of philosophy.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33741

The University of Edinburgh

Annexe Thesis Digitisation Project 2019 Block 22

The coherence theory of truth in Bradley's philosophy

Thesis or Dissertation

Doctoral

PhD Doctor of Philosophy