ABSTRACT
This final chapter asks how philosophy and truth interrelate. First it discusses how philosophy relates to art and religion. All three are social domains of truth in which truth as a whole is at issue. Unlike art and religion, however, philosophy pursues a primarily propositional and discursive form of truth, yet one whose concern for truth as a whole contrasts with more delimited pursuits of scientific truth. Next the chapter considers the historical character of both truth and philosophy. After reviewing the historicity of truth itself, it considers the historical sources to holistic alethic pluralism in both the Hebraic emeth and Parmenidean aletheia strands of Western truth theory. The emphasis on a dynamic correlation between fidelity and disclosure tries to interweave these seemingly incompatible strands in a creative and critical fashion. The resulting conception of truth gives philosophy two crucial roles in society: to engage in a thorough critique of contemporary society, and to learn from and contribute to the practical wisdom people gain in living the truth. Doing this, however, calls for a drastic reconstruction in philosophy, one that links up with both a fundamental transformation of contemporary society and a concomitant alteration in the very idea of truth.
