Philosophers to debate nature of truth

Philosophers from around the world will gather on the Storrs campus May 15-17 to discuss a basic question: What is truth?

The “truthfest,” known formally as “Truth: Current Debates,” will test ideas that lead back to Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato but that still provoke argument.

“‘What is truth?’ is the very paradigm of a philosophical question: It seems both important and yet dauntingly difficult to answer,” says Michael Lynch, professor of philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Lynch is the author of three books on truth.

While scholars often debate the truth at conferences and meetings, it is rare to have an entire workshop focused on it.

The aim of the event is to examine current thinking and set the agenda for philosophers who focus on truth studies.

The speakers include philosophers Crispin Wright from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and Vann McGee from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Other speakers are coming from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and California.

The workshop is organized by Lynch, together with philosophy professors Marcus Rossberg and JC Beall.

Funding for the truth workshop was provided by an anonymous donor, the philosophy department, and the UConn Humanities Institute.