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." Dummett 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, particularly regarding the metaphysical issue of realism and the philosophy of language.