We need a strong meaning of truth in order to guide our actions as individuals and as a society. While lots of people tell us that we have to stop burning fossil fuels today in order to mitigate the effects of global warming, others tell us that global warming is nonsense. So how should we act, and who should we listen to, if we know that nobody can tell what the "real" truth is? It almost seems like truth is something that we desperately need but can not have.
I begin my search for answers by looking at two of the most fundamental theories of truth: the Correspondence Theory of Truth and the Coherence Theory of Truth. Those two can be considered "basic" or classical answers to the question of truth, while several others, like Tarski‘s Theory of Truth, Realism and Antirealism, Deflationism, and others either try to cope with the problems that arise in the context of those classical conceptions or state completely new ones.
Since I am ultimately interested in the notion of scientific truth, the second chapter is dedicated to the discussion of two modern theoretical approaches to the problem of truth, Steve Fuller's critical "Post-Truth" approach and the positive "Veritist" approach represented by Baker and Oreskes, that aim to explain how scientific truth differs from everyday truth and how scientists establish consensus among each other.
3As both approaches substantially differ in their interpretation of the problem, I discuss Hans Vaihinger's Fictionalist Theory of Truth in an effort to "sublate" ("aufheben" in Hegels words) both approaches in a synthesis afterwards.
Finally, I use the newly gained knowledge and apply it to the example of man- made global warming. My proposal is that it could be beneficial, if we would stop trying to establish global warming as a scientific fact and start seeing it as a socially constructed fiction, that can positively guide our actions.
Table of Contents
1 Let’s talk about Truth
2 Classical Theories of Truth
2.1 Correspondence Theory of Truth
2.2 Weaknesses of the Correspondence Theory of Truth
2.3 Coherence Theory of Truth
3 The Establishment of Scientific Truth
3.1 Fullers "Post-Truth" Approach
3.1.1 Scientific Truth and Power
3.1.2 Scientific Truth as a Social Construct
3.2 The Veritist Approach to Truth
3.3 Scientific Truth from a Pragmatic Point of View
4 Hans Vaihinger: Philosophy of "As-If"
4.1 The Pragmatic Notion of Truth
4.2 Vaihingers Fictionalism
4.3 The Act of Thinking
4.4 Fictions as Fruitful Lies
4.5 Fictions as Maps
5 The Fiction of Global Warming
5.1 Recap
5.2 Example: Let’s pretend as Climate Change would be real
5.3 The Real Truth about Man-Made Climate Change
Objectives and Themes
The paper explores the concept of scientific truth in a "post-truth" era by critically analyzing classical and contemporary theories of truth. The primary objective is to reconcile the conflict between Steve Fuller’s relativistic "power-game" approach and the normative "veritist" approach by applying Hans Vaihinger’s "Philosophy of As-If." The central research question investigates whether understanding scientific claims as socially constructed fictions, rather than absolute objective facts, can provide a more effective basis for guiding collective action in complex global issues like climate change.
- Critique of Correspondence and Coherence Theories of Truth
- Analysis of Steve Fuller’s "Post-Truth" epistemology
- Evaluation of the Veritist approach to scientific consensus
- Introduction and application of Hans Vaihinger’s Fictionalism
- Recontextualizing man-made climate change as a socially constructed fiction
Excerpt from the Book
4.5 Fictions as Maps
Finally, let’s return to Vaihingers initial question: how can it be that we are able to navigate in the world without ever being able to properly see it? His answer to this question is, that we are posing the wrong question or, better: we are posing the right question but with a false expectation. Instead of searching for the answer in the nature of the thing itself, we should consider meditating on the nature of thinking (ibid. 289). To do so, for Vaihinger, means to describe the mechanisms involved in the process of orientation.
For instance, if somebody asks me: how were you able to lift that heavy stone? I would not recur to the nature of physics and matter, but I would explain to him how I took a long plank and used the principle of the lever. Accordingly, if somebody asks me: how do you know that? I should answer: by using such and such logical auxiliaries or categories of thinking, instead of trying to explain some eternal truth about reality itself (ibid. 101).
To give one last example: When I am in a foreign city and use a map to orient myself, I never think that the map is the city, but I just use the map "as-if" it is the city and I judge the quality of the map by whether and how well it leads me to the destination of my choice.
Summary of Chapters
1 Let’s talk about Truth: This chapter introduces the motivation behind the paper, questioning how scientific facts are established and why individuals might reject them, setting the stage for a pragmatic inquiry into truth.
2 Classical Theories of Truth: This section examines the Correspondence and Coherence theories of truth, highlighting their limitations in explaining scientific truth and their inability to resolve the tension between objective reality and mental representations.
3 The Establishment of Scientific Truth: This chapter discusses Steve Fuller’s post-truth approach and the Veritist perspective, framing scientific truth as either a power game or an evaluative concept that guides human action.
4 Hans Vaihinger: Philosophy of "As-If": This chapter introduces Vaihinger’s Fictionalism, explaining how thinking functions through "useful" fictions and logical auxiliaries that allow us to orient ourselves in the world.
5 The Fiction of Global Warming: This concluding chapter applies Vaihinger’s framework to the climate change debate, proposing that treating the concept as a socially constructed fiction can enhance our capacity for effective collective action.
Keywords
Fictionalism, As-If Philosophy, Hans Vaihinger, Post-Truth, Scientific Truth, Social Construct, Epistemology, Pragmatism, Climate Change, Coherence Theory, Correspondence Theory, Steve Fuller, Veritism, Expediency, Scientific Consensus
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the nature of scientific truth within a post-truth context, specifically exploring how we can maintain a functional understanding of truth for social action without relying on naive metaphysical claims.
What are the primary thematic areas explored in the text?
The work navigates through classical theories of truth, modern epistemological debates (Fuller vs. Veritists), the philosophy of Hans Vaihinger, and a case study on climate change.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine if Vaihinger’s "Philosophy of As-If" provides a viable synthesis that avoids both absolute relativism and dogmatic adherence to unprovable objective foundations.
Which scientific methods are analyzed or utilized?
The paper utilizes a philosophical and meta-scientific methodology, specifically employing critical comparative analysis of epistemological theories and a pragmatic conceptual application.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body addresses the limitations of Correspondence and Coherence theories, the power dynamics in scientific truth-making, and the function of mental models as "maps" or fictions.
How would you characterize this work using keywords?
Key terms include Fictionalism, Scientific Truth, Post-Truth, Social Construct, Pragmatism, and Epistemology.
How does the author propose we view climate change?
The author suggests viewing the concept of man-made climate change as a "fruitful fiction" or a socially constructed guide for action, rather than an objective scientific fact that requires a perfect, impossible consensus.
What is the "rule of shifting ideas" mentioned by Vaihinger?
It is the tendency of ideas that were originally intended as useful fictions to eventually be reinterpreted by future thinkers as objective truths or rigid dogmas.
- Quote paper
- Vladislav Shenker (Author), 2020, Hans Vaihinger's Fictionalism as a Foundation for Scientific Truth in a Post-Truth Era, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1153869
