quine ontological relativity summary

The thesis of Ontological Relativity – that ontology (what exists) is relative – is only intelligible if one first understands Quine’s arguments for the indeterminacy of translation, presented in great detail in his book, Word and Object, and rehearsed briefly in the early sections of “Ontological Relativity.” At any rate, that is what motivates his most important and notorious theses, concerning ontological relativity, indeterminacy of translation, and analyticity. cit., note 8). ___ Relative to it we can and do talk meaningfully and distinctively of rabbits and parts, numbers and formulas. QUINE AND ONTOLOGICAL RELATIVITY Indeterminacy Of Translation W.V.O. Hence men's dispositions to respond overtly to socially observable stimulations play a major role. Carnap himself may not have provided the materials for a defence of this doctrine, but others have done so. 3.1. The indeterminacy of translation is an instance of a more general view, which Quine called “ontological relativity,” that claims that for any given scientific theory there are always indefinitely many alternatives entailing different ontological assumptions but accounting for all available evidence equally well. According to him, an enquiry into the various aspects of language as a social art may depend entirely on intersubjectively available cues. Quine “Ontological Relativity” ... Quine argues we cannot consider simply a translation of words or sentences but must instead examine the entire language Trimmed Bush Example Inscrutability of Reference: On the level of terms Inscrutability of reference indicates that there is never just 1932–33: held a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship and visited (mostnotably) Vienna, Warsaw, and Prague (where Carnap was thenteaching). I should like to thank those present for their criticisms and help. V. Quine, “Ontological Relativity,” Journal of Philosophy 65 (1968), I got an A on the paper. Quine “Ontological Relativity” John Zimmerman Ryan McCausland Philosophy 308: The Language Revolution Professor Marcus.

Request PDF | Quine. Quine's Criterion of Ontological Commitment 3.2. 1933–36: a Junior Fellow in Harvard’s newly-formed Society ofFellows; worked chiefly o… Quine 4 § Ontological Relativity ___ This network of terms and predicates and auxiliary devices is, in relativity jargon, our frame of reference, or coordinate system. doctrines. Quantifier Accounts of Ontological Commitment 1.1 Quine's Criterion, Preliminaries. Quine's ontological relativity also involves translation manuals, but at a deeper level. Introducing New Objects: Positing 4. Ontology and Ontological Relativity References Notes ___ Reference is nonsense except relative to a coordinate system.It is meaningless to Willard Van Orman Quine (/ k w aɪ n /; known to intimates as "Van"; June 25, 1908 – December 25, 2000) was an American philosopher and logician in the analytic tradition, recognized as "one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century."

identified bodies outright with the sense impressions. The indeterminacy of translation is an instance of a more general view, which Quine called “ontological relativity,” that claims that for any given scientific theory there are always indefinitely many alternatives entailing different ontological assumptions but accounting for all available evidence equally well.

Quine 4 § Ontological Relativity ___ This network of terms and predicates and auxiliary devices is, in relativity jargon, our frame of reference, or coordinate system. 1930–32: attended Harvard University; Ph.D. in Philosophy,dissertation on Whitehead and Russell’s PrincipiaMathematica. Recommend this journal. Quine's criterion of ontological commitment has dominated ontological discussion in analytic philosophy since the middle of the 20 th century; it deserves to be called the orthodox view. Summary This chapter contains sections titled: Abstract Introduction The Inscrutability of Objectual Reference Empiricism, Naturalism, and Provincialism References Quine's Ontological Relativity - A Companion to Relativism - Wiley Online Library ___ Relative to it we can and do talk meaningfully and distinctively of rabbits and parts, numbers and formulas.