The word "true" is redundant
This view is expressed by the redundancy theory of truth.
This view is expressed by the redundancy theory of truth.
Frank Ramsey has argued that the truth predicate can be demonstrated to be redundant[1]. For example, when one says that "It is true that snow is white" it is equivalent of saying that "Snow is white". Conversely, if we say that "It is false that cows can fly", it is equivalent of saying that "Cows can't fly".
The word "true" can also be eliminated from questions e.g. "Is it true that God cares for all his children?" = "Does God care for all his children?"[2].
Therefore, there is nothing to be lost by emitting the word "true" from a proposition.
Deflationary theory of truth. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 1, 2024. ↩︎
Deflationary Theories of Truth. Retrieved November 1, 2024. ↩︎
In general, the claim is that if the word "true" is used in a proposition, then we can do without it. So if we have a proposition of the form "P is true" it is the same as just saying P. However, sentences of the form "Everything X says is true" seem to present a challenge to this thesis.