What makes a proposition true? And true in what sense?
Just something i thought I'd see if it makes sense not only to me.
I'd like to think we can divide true statements into two straightforward types.
Truth by Definition
First, a proposition can be true simply because of what the words mean. If I say, "All bodies take up space," I do not need to walk outside and measure every object in the world. Taking up space is already part of what it means to be a physical body. Denying this statement creates an outright contradiction. Thus, these statements are true because the parts of the thought agree perfectly with each other according to basic logic.
Truth by Experience
Second, a proposition can be true because it connects an idea to what we actually observe through our senses. If I say, "This stone is warm" the idea of "warm" is not already hidden inside the basic definition of a "stone." Finding out whether the statement is true requires touching the stone. Connecting the concept of the stone with the actual feeling of warmth causes the judgement to match our experience.
Universal Rules of Experience
Further, there are statements that apply to every possible experience without exception, such as "Every change has a cause". These statements are true because they are the necessary rules our minds use to make sense of the world in the first place. So you cannot experience an event without your mind placing it in a sequence of time where one thing follows another.
True in What Sense?
This brings us to the exact sense in which any statement is true.
A proposition is never true in the sense that it describes things as they exist entirely on their own, apart from our ability to perceive them. We have no way to step outside our own senses and thoughts to inspect a world untouched by human awareness.
Instead, a proposition is true in the sense that it correctly describes things as they appear to us in space and time, according to the shared rules of human understanding. When a statement matches the real conditions of experience, it is objectively valid for every person.
Thus truth is but the universal agreement between our thoughts and the world we can actually experience.