Truth and the Past

Michael Dummett's three John Dewey Lectures -- "The Concept of Truth," "Statements About the Past," and "The Metaphysics of Time" -- were delivered at Columbia University in the spring of 2002. Revised and expanded, the lectures are presented here along with two new essays by Dummett, "Truth: Deniers and Defenders" and "The Indispensability of the Concept of Truth."

In Truth and the Past, Dummett clarifies his current positions on the metaphysical issue of realism and the philosophy of language. He is best known as a proponent of antirealism, which loosely characterizes truth as what we are capable of knowing. The events of the past and statements about them are critical tests of an antirealist position. These essays continue and significantly contribute to Dummett's work.

Columbia University Press

In Truth and the Past, Dummett, best known as a proponent of antirealism, clarifies his current positions on the metaphysical issue of realism and the philosophy of language. His three John Dewey Lectures were delivered at Columbia University in the spring of 2002. Revised and expanded, the lectures are presented here along with two new essays.

Michael Dummett, was until his retirement in 1992, the Wykeham Professor of Logic at Oxford. He has also taught at Accra, Stanford, Minnesota, Bologna, Princeton, and Harvard, among other universities. He is the author of numerous books, including The Seas of Language; Frege: Philosophy of Language; and Origins of Analytical Philosophy.