A self-contained theory of truth

Abstract

Tarski's undefinability theorem states that a formal system based on conventional predicate logic (PL) cannot talk about its own truth predicate. PL is, however, not the only formal language imaginable. In this paper, it will be shown that it is possible to construct a formal system, based not on PL but a more restrictive formal language, which is self-contained in the sense that within this system, we can both talk about and even define the system's own truth predicate. This hints at new ways of understanding Russell's, G\"odel's, and Tarski's discoveries, and new ways of tackling the vicious circles that give rise to these problems. This new system presents an interesting alternative foundational mathematical framework.