Making Quantified Truths True

Abstract

In this paper, I present a novel way of meeting the challenge of grounding the truth of contingent quantified truths in positive, actual aspects of reality. My solution recovers the commonsensical intuition that what makes < all As are B > true (in a circumstance of evaluation w) is just the As (in w) being B (in w). The proposal is based on recognizing that the metaphysical relation that binds truths to their truth-makers is defeasible. Consequently, it is possible for a truth-maker to make a truth-bearer true in some circumstances of evaluation, but fail to do so in others, in those others where appropriate defeaters exist.