Chapter 2 - Truthmaking, Accounting, and Explanation

Summary

This chapter distinguishes two broad conceptions of what the truthmaker project is all about. On the one hand, it might be thought of as a project of alethic explanation, that is, of offering systematic explanations as to why true truth-bearers are true (and why false truth-bearers are false). On the other hand, it might be a project of ontological accounting, of properly coordinating our beliefs and ontological inventories. The chapter adopts the latter approach, and defends it against the explanatory paradigm. This conception of truthmaking as ontological accounting then informs the conception of how we should think about the relation of truthmaking. The chapter begins by articulating the two perspectives on truthmaking, and defends the accounting approach over the explanatory conception. The accounting focus then enables an explaination of the relationship between truthmaking and ontological commitment, which is where the chapter ends.