When1: 1953
When2: 1990
Who: Willard Van Orman Quine [Quine, Willard Van Orman]
What: philosopher
Where: USA
works\ From a Logical Point of View [1953]; Two Dogmas of Empiricism [1953]; Word and Object [1960]; Set Theory and Its Logic [1963]; Ways of Paradox [1966]; Ontological Relativity and Other Essays [1969: includes Epistemology Naturalized]; Web of Belief [1970: with J. Ullian]; Philosophy of Logic [1970]; Roots of Reference [1974]; Methods of Logic [1982]; Quiddities [1987]; Pursuit of Truth [1990]
Detail: He lived 1908 to 2000 and was empiricist. He associated with Nelson Goodman, J. L. Austin, and Peter F. Strawson and later with Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam.
Epistemology
Meaning is about belief systems, not about beliefs. Belief systems can adjust at many places.
All statements depend on empirical evidence. Analytic and synthetic truths do not differ, because mathematics depends on belief system and because experience is not about logic or statements.
Language translations have many alternatives {indeterminacy, translation}, because experience is always about part relations, and translation can use any part. Deciphering unknown languages cannot rely on only spoken or written evidence but needs to know belief systems. Language interpretation should ascribe only universally true and neutral beliefs or references to speakers and writers, to minimize errors and falsehoods {charity principle} {principle of charity}.
Because language has alternatives, new ideas have indeterminate objects and ideas {ontological relativity}.
Belief systems have words that refer to one object in all uses {referential opacity} {referentially opaque}. Belief systems cannot allow words that do not refer to anything or refer to something else than intended in different contexts.
Quantifiers can say that object exists {objectual} or that sentence form exists and is true.
Metaphysics
Reality is physical only {physicalism, Quine}. Existence requires that things have property quantities. "To be is to be the value of a variable." Existence requires something identifiable. "No entity without identity."
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Date Modified: 2022.0224