It is short, very clearly and attractively written (often with a pleasing light touch), and it nicely explains the content of some key formal theories and presents the key results about them, sometimes sketching proofs, but often just pointing to proofs in the literature for enthusiasts to follow up….Overall, I think Leon Horsten has succeeded brilliantly at the task of outlining and so making accessible a range of recent work on theories of truth….a beautifully structured guided tour.
Analysis
Horsten's book is a success in linking the formal and philosophical issues surrounding truth. The Tarskian Turn is both a valuable pedagogical contribution and an impressive scholarly achievement.
Philosophical Quarterly
Horsten accomplishes something very important: He bridges the gap between formal investigations on truth and philosophical considerations….manages to present the difficult technical material of axiomatic theories of truth in a very accessible way…without oversimplifying the issues at hand….A valuable contribution to the contemporary literature. With its fluent style, Horsten's book is a must read for anybody interested in truth.
The Bulletin of Symbolic Logic
Horsten's book is a unique, pioneering attempt to connect philosophers' discussions of the intrinsic nature of truth with logicians' results about axiomatic truth theories. Clear and concise, it offers in a brief compass something for everyone who has worked in and around these areas.
John P. Burgess, Professor of Philosophy, Princeton University
Something surprising about The Tarskian Turn is what it doesn't do. It doesn't attempt to 'solve' the liar paradox, or to explain what goes wrong in the paradoxical reasoning. As a deflationist about truth, Horsten doesn't think that the paradox indicates a fissure in the foundation of reason that requires a deep explanation. His aim is therapeutic, rather than diagnostic. He looks for consistent, explicit rules that provide the broadly 'logical' uses of the word 'true' that deflationists recognize as legitimate, and he undertakes the task with remarkable philosophical insight and technical dexterity. It's a book I thoroughly admire.
Vann McGee, Professor of Philosophy, MIT, and author of Truth, Vagueness, and Paradox: An Essay on the Logic of Truth