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Accepted manuscript

What use the Realist for a Theory of Truth?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2026

Corey Dethier*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy and Religion, Clemson University; corey.dethier@gmail.com
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Abstract

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Recently, Hasok Chang has argued that we should adopt a pragmatic account of truth on which truth is constituted by practical success. Central to his argument is the claim that truth in this sense can be pursued and that other senses of truth can’t be. In this paper, I present a dilemma for Chang’s view. Either practical success constitutes truth in a way that implies infallibility—a conclusion that I’ll argue is untenable—or the argument from pursuit fails. I end by suggesting that scientific realism alone commits us to very little with respect to truth.

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Type
Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Science Association