There is a second answer to what makes a statement true, and it reigns precisely where there is no world to point at: coherence.
The criterion
By the coherence theory, a statement is true when it fits, without contradiction, into a whole we already hold to be true. You use this every time you distrust a story that "doesn't add up". In mathematics the criterion seems sovereign, because there is no external object to check against: what matters is internal consistency. This is where modern idealism, from Hegel onward, made coherence the very criterion of truth.
The crack
But there is a fatal problem. A good conspiracy theory is perfectly coherent: everything fits, and yet it may be entirely false. A well-built lie is also coherent, and that is exactly why it deceives. So coherence cannot be the definition of truth; it is an excellent test of it.
The right place of coherence is at the service of correspondence: it checks whether our statement agrees with itself, but what decides, in the end, is reality. We have where to tread (correspondence) and how to test the floor (coherence). One without the other does not climb the staircase of truth.
In-depth study
Church History Course, with Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Bitencourt
In-depth reading of the work of Daniel Rops, where Thomas Aquinas and scholasticism, which ground truth in God, appear in full.
Discover the courseFrequently asked questions
What is the coherence theory of truth?
The thesis that a statement is true when it fits without contradiction into a system of beliefs. It is typical of idealism, especially from Hegel onward.
Why is coherence not enough?
Because a system can be perfectly coherent and false, like a well-built conspiracy theory. Coherence tests, but does not guarantee correspondence with the real.
Coherence or correspondence?
Both, in order. Correspondence with reality is the definition of truth; coherence is the test that confirms it.
Continue: What is truth · The principle of non-contradiction · What is relativism
Source class (NousCast Community): The Idea of Truth (F&T 1.7)