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The Birth of Willard Van Orman Quine
Willard Van Orman Quine was born on 25 June 1908, in Akron, Ohio. His father, Cloyd Robert Quine, grew up in Akron, Ohio in a majority German Neighborhood. His father attended high school and immediately started working after graduation. His mother, Harriet Ellis, grew up in Wadsworth, just twelve miles from Akron and went to college at Buchtel which eventually became the University of Akron. -
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The Life of Willard Van Orman Quine
W.V. Quine was a theoretical philosopher and logician and is known as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. -
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Harvard
For a staggering 70 years W. V. Quine remained an affiliate of The University of Harvard. First as a student, then a professor of philosophy and a teacher of logic and set theory and ended as a professor emeritus. -
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U.S. Navy
Quine joined the Navy and worked in Naval intelligence. -
Ontological Commitment
Ontology is the study of being, of what there is. (Bricker 1) Quine’s criterion of ontological commitment has dominated ontological discussion in philosophy since the middle of the 20th century; it deserves to be called the orthodox view. (Bricker 2) Quine believed in two roles: (1) it allowed one to measure the ontological cost of theories which provided a foundation for theory of choice, (2) It could be used to argue challenger’s theories were costlier than theorists acknowledged. -
Epistemological Holism
Epistemological holism, is the claim that a single scientific theory or a single hypothesis in isolation from other background theories or hypotheses cannot be tested; a test of one theory always depends on other theories and hypotheses. (Confirmations Holism 1 ) Quine, along with Pierre Duhem formulated this theory and Quine believed that it’s applicable to all human knowledge, to include mathematics and logic. They believed it's impossible to test a theory in isolation. -
From a Logical Point of View
Quine published "From a Logical Point of View" which consisted of nine essays and covered the theory of meaning and semantics. -
Metaphysics
Metaphysics, the philosophical study whose object is to determine the real nature of things—to determine the meaning, structure, and principles of whatever is insofar as it is. (Walsh 1) Quine believed that philosophers could make general claims about the world and that claims are answerable with a system of scientific knowledge. The outcome was the flourishing of metaphysics, often founded on intuition and normal language. (estimated year)* -
Work and Object
Quine published "Work and Object" which expands on some of his earlier writings. He noted that philosophy should be pursued as part of natural science and emphasized the role of natural scientific methods. -
Set Theory and its Logic
Quine published "Set Theory and its Logic" which introduced abstract set theory and still plays a role in modern mathematics. -
Ways of Paradox
Quine published "Ways of Paradox" which was on of his most influential papers and included multiple essays. They explained the distinction between verdical/falsidical paradoxes and antinomies. Verdical Paradox: conclusion is true
Falsidical Paradox: conclusion is false
Antinomies: can not be explained -
Naturalized Epistemology
Naturalistic epistemology is an approach to the theory of knowledge that emphasizes the application of methods, results, and theories from the empirical sciences. (Wrenn 1) Quine is credited with the introduction of naturalistic epistemology with the essay "Epistemology Naturalized." He argues for epistemology as a piece of psychology and raised questions about the known methods of scientific thought. He believed there is no position outside of nature, philosophy, and epistemology. -
From Stimulus to Science
At approximately 87 years old, Quine published "From Stimulus to Science" which covers lectures he delivered in Spain, in 1990. He provides a history of philosophy of epistemology and his attempt to naturalize epistemology. -
Willard Van Orman Quine Death (2000)
W. V. Quine died on 25 December 2000, at the age of 92. His ashes rest along with his parents in Akron, Ohio at the Glendale Cemetery. Portions are also dispersed in Meriden CT, Harvard MA, and Cambridge MA.
