ABSTRACT
Correspondence theory posits that a proposition (sentence, belief) is true if and only if there exists a fact that corresponds to it and makes it true (Aristotle, Bernard Bolzano, Bertrand Russell) (→BELIEF, LANGUAGE). A true proposition is supposed to describe the corresponding fact by expressing its structure. In coherence theory, truth does not depend upon a relationship between language and reality, but upon a coherence relation between sentences (Keith Lehrer). Verificationist theory identifies truth with verifiability: saying that a proposition is true is saying that there is a method for verifying it (Charles Peirce, Michael Dummett). In the pragmatic theory of truth, truths are beliefs that are useful in helping us act (William James) (→ACTION, PRAGMATICS).
