Page "Truth" Paragraph 16

For coherence theories in general, truth requires a proper fit of elements within a whole system.

Very often, though, coherence is taken to imply something more than simple logical consistency ; often there is a demand that the propositions in a coherent system lend mutual inferential support to each other.

So, for example, the completeness and comprehensiveness of the underlying set of concepts is a critical factor in judging the validity and usefulness of a coherent system.

A pervasive tenet of coherence theories is the idea that truth is primarily a property of whole systems of propositions, and can be ascribed to individual propositions only according to their coherence with the whole.

Among the assortment of perspectives commonly regarded as coherence theory, theorists differ on the question of whether coherence entails many possible true systems of thought or only a single absolute system.