W. V. Quine is one of the most eminent philosophers alive today. Now
in his mid-eighties he has produced a sharp, sprightly book that
encapsulates the whole of his philosophical enterprise, including his
thinking on all the key components of his epistemological
stance--especially the value of logic and mathematics. New readers of
Quine may have to go slowly, fathoming for themselves the richness
that past readers already know lies between these elegant lines. For
the faithful there is much to ponder. In this short book, based on
lectures delivered in Spain in 1990, Quine begins by locating his work
historically. He provides a lightning tour of the history of
philosophy (particularly the history of epistemology), beginning with
Plato and culminating in an appreciative sketch of Carnap's
philosophical ambitions and achievements. This leads, in the second
chapter, to an introduction to Quine's attempt to naturalize
epistemology, which emphasizes his continuities with Carnap rather
than the differences between them. The next chapters develop the
naturalistic story of the development of science to take account of
how our conceptual apparatus is enhanced so that we can view the world
as containing re-identifiable objects. Having explained the role of
observation sentences in providing a checkpoint for assessing
scientific theories, and having despaired of constructing an empirical
criterion to determine which sentences are meaningful, Quine in the
remaining chapters takes up a variety of important issues about
knowledge. He concludes with an extended treatment of his views about
reference and meaning and his attitudes toward psychological and modal
notions. The presentation is distinctive, and the many small
refinements of detail and formulation will fascinate all who know
Quine's philosophy.
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780674042476
Publisert
2021
Utgiver
Vendor
Harvard University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter