Richard Campbell elucidates the concept of truth by tracing its history: from the ancient Greek idea that truth is timeless, unchanging, and free from all relativism, up to the seventeenth-century crisis which led to the collapse of that idea, and then on through the emergence of historical consciousness to the existentialist, sociological, and linguistic approaches of our own time. He gives a scholarly but vivid and economical exposition of the views of a remarkably wide range of thinkers, always showing how their ideas engage with our contemporary concerns. He argues that current problems with truth arise from the way differing past conceptions continue to resound in our contemporary use of the word, and suggests that we must formulate a new conception of truth, compatible with awareness that through our actions we constitute who we are - with awareness of our own historicity.

`a grand tour, and a grand tour de force. ... The sheer extent of Campbell's reading and learning has to be admired, and its output needs to be savored. ... By the end of chapter 16, one feels that little of any significance can have been left unsurveyed. ... What is certain is that almost every reader will learn something, and that most will learn a lot, from going through this impressive historical roll-call.' The Journal of Philosophy 1993
`Campbell's project is clearly and elegantly executed.' Times Literary Supplement
'Campbell ... offers a wide-ranging historical and thematic treatment of philosphically prominent conceptions of truth.' Choice May 93
'It is impossible to do justice to the richness of Campbell's encyclopedic history of the concept of truth. Few could fail to learn from Campbell's historical studies of the notion of truth in thinkers from Parmenides to Dummett ... beautifully written and carefully argued with a rigour and elegance that must command the admiration of the most dedicated philosopher in the analytic tradition.' Fergus Kerr, Heythrop Journal, April 1994
'This is an impressive, deep, and complex book. In tracing the historical vicissitudes of the concept of truth from Homer to Dummett, the author displays an impressive range of scholarly knowledge. I recommend this book highly. I recommend it to those, like myself, whose outlook has been shaped (if not limited) by the standard canon of anglophone analytic philosophy. Such readers will learn much from Campbell's historical discussions, and they cannot fail to be stimulated (if occasionally puzzled) by his philosophical arguments.' Robert Stoothoff, University of Canterbury, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 72, No. 4, December 1994
We ... praise Campbell for daring to challenge the anti-historical orientation of Anglo-American philosophy ... has the merit of showing the way for further research on a topic that is crucial to Vico studies. * New Vico Studies *