Aristotle on Truth

Aristotle’s theory of truth, which has been the most influential account of the concept of truth from Antiquity onwards, spans several areas of philosophy: philosophy of language, logic, ontology and epistemology. In this book, Paolo Crivelli discusses all the main aspects of Aristotle’s views on truth and falsehood. He analyses in detail the main relevant passages, addresses some well-known problems of Aristotelian semantics, and assesses Aristotle’s theory from the point of view of modern analytic philosophy. In the process he discusses most of the literature on Aristotle’s semantic theory to have appeared in the last two centuries. His book vindicates and clarifies the often repeated claim that Aristotle’s is a correspondence theory of truth. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers working in both ancient philosophy and modern philosophy of language.

• This monograph is dedicated exclusively to Aristotle’s theory of truth and so fills a gap in the secondary literature on Aristotle • Offers a rigourous analysis and assessment of the philosophical arguments and those that Aristotle puts forward with regard to truth and falsehood • Reports and comments on all the main Aristotelian passages that concern truth

Acknowledgements; Notes on the text; List of abbreviations of titles of Aristotle\'s works; Introduction; Part I. Bearers of Truth or Falsehood: 1. States of affairs, thoughts and sentences; 2. Truth conditions for predicative assertions; 3. Truth conditions for existential assertions; Part II. ‘Empty’ Terms: 4. Truth as correspondence; 5. ‘Vacuous’ terms and ‘empty’ terms; Part III. Truth and Time: 6. Truth and change; 7. Truth and determinism in de Interpretatione 9; Appendices; References; Index of names; Index of subjects; Index of passages.

‘We can … applaud the arrival on the scene of Paolo Crivelli‘s … book, which is the first monographic discussion of Aristotle\'s theory of truth. the line of investigation pursued by … [Crivelli] is striking and powerful. … [Crivelli‘s] book is without question an impressive and important work of scholarship. It is a book that deserves to become a standard study of the topic.‘

– Bryn Mawr Classical Review

‘… this is a book that will be of interest not only to ancient philosophers but also to those working in modern philosophy of language and in metaphysics. It is densely argued and is written in a clear, economical style. Throughout, Crivelli combines the highest standards of scholarship with a concern to engage philosophically with the texts he discusses. … Aristotle on Truth is rich in argument and deserves a response much more extensive than can be attempted in a review. It is a very impressive book, full of insightful textual analysis and penetrating philosophical discussion.‘

– Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

\'… an admirably clear and well informed account of the issues, in terms of both philosophy and scholarship. Its appendixes contain rich textual and logical examinations of particular claims … Crivelli\'s book should provide a foundation for much productive debate.\'

– British Journal for the History of Philosophy