Literary notes about coherence (AI summary)
Writers and thinkers employ "coherence" to articulate the idea of unity and orderly connection among parts, whether in philosophy, literature, or music. It can refer to a truth that emerges when ideas are mutually reinforcing [1] or to the structural integrity of a narrative or composition, where even slight disruptions in the sequence are noted as breaches of coherence [2]. In some works, coherence is the quality that transforms a disjointed collection of thoughts into a unified whole [3], while in others its absence is highlighted as a fundamental shortcoming that diminishes logical or artistic value [4]. Thus, "coherence" serves as a versatile standard for judging the completeness and rationality of both conceptual arguments and creative endeavors.
- The most important attempt at a definition of this sort is the theory that truth consists in coherence .
— from The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell - With a slight violation of the chronological sequence I shall discuss "A Glove" in this connection, because of its organic coherence with "Leonarda.
— from Essays on Scandinavian Literature by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen - I will take two criteria which have been suggested, namely, (1) self-evidence, (2) mutual coherence.
— from The Analysis of Mind by Bertrand Russell - Thus coherence as the definition of truth fails because there is no proof that there can be only one coherent system.
— from The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
