Trivial Truths and the Aim of Inquiry

And put each behind a door. Is Inquiry indifferent to which door she opens? No. Hence (or so we are told) truth is not the goal of inquiry, and not the only thing of epistemic value. Inquiry aims not just for more truth, but for significant or important truth. The argument is pervasive and influential. And it has the air of being obviously sound, so much so that it is given only impressionistically. Who could deny, after all, that Inquiry would pick the second door? And since she would, it must be more than truth that Inquiry is after. The following passages are typical and convey a sense both of how this ‘trivial truths’ argument is employed and of how abruptly it is given: