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Early Life
Willard Van Orman, AKA W.V. Orman, AKA "Van" was born on 25 June 1908 in Akron, Ohio Cloyd Robert Quine, Van's father was an Engineer and his mother, Harriet Van Orman was a teacher. His mother could probably be credited with his pursuit of continued education. He was also interested in sciences and philosophy at an early age. O'Connor, J J, and E F Robertson. “Willard Van Quine - Biography.” Maths History, 2003, mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Quine/. -
Education
W.V Quine earned his Bachelor's degree in 1930 from Oberlin College majoring in Mathematics. This is also where he met his future wife Naomi. In the same year he attended Harvard University and earned his Ph.D in Philosophy. He was brought on to the Harvard team as Professor from 1936-1976, after his time as a "fellow". Hylton, Peter, and Gary Kemp. “Willard Van Orman Quine.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 14 Feb. 2019, plato.stanford.edu/entries/quine/. -
Military Career
He was a professor the majority of his career, he took a brief break from the University from 1942 to 1945 to join the Navy. He was stationed in Washington D.C. as an Intelligence Officer translating German submarine cyphers. Lehmann-haupt, Christopher. “W. V. Quine, Philosopher Who Analyzed Language and Reality, Dies at 92.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/12/29/arts/w-v-quine-philosopher-who-analyzed-language-and-reality-dies-at-92.html. -
Controversial Perspectives
Quine has been coined as the most influential philosopher of the last two centuries but this doesn't come easy. Quine held multiple controversial - in relation to the philosophy community. Such as his belief in first-order logic, his commitment to extensionality on theories, and his views on mental phenomena (Intentionality). Hylton, Peter, and Gary Kemp. “Willard Van Orman Quine.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 14 Feb. 2019, plato.stanford.edu/entries/quine/. -
Quine's Two Dogmas of Empiricism & Ontological Relativity
Perfect example of W.V. Quine's philosophical work and offering different perspectives/optics. This is one example of his work, again he has 22 books...not even mentioning his journal articles, and displays why his is considered in such high regard within the scientific community! This YouTube video provides a good breakdown (still at a high level): https://youtu.be/s_jIvsORaq4 -
Life's Work
Quine is credited with publishing 22 books spanning topics on mathematics, logic, sciences, and of course philosophy. He retired from being a professor in 1978 but still continued to contribute to the philosophical community well in to 1995. Additionally, Quine received multiple awards solidifying his name in philosophy history. O'Connor, J J, and E F Robertson. “Willard Van Quine - Biography.” Maths History, 2003, mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Quine/. -
Death and Continued Influence
W.V. Quine died on Christmas day in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 92. His work has been immortalized in philosophy textbooks-even ours! I don't believe another person has influenced the philosophy community more than Quine has - which is why many credit him as the "Most Influential Philosopher" of the twentieth century. Hylton, Peter, and Gary Kemp. “Willard Van Orman Quine.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 14 Feb. 2019, plato.stanford.edu/entries/quine/.
