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A New Mind is Born
Willard Van Orman Quine was born on June 25th, 1908 in Akron, Ohio. He lived with his father Cloyd Robert and mother Harriett E. He only had one older brother Robert Cloyd. His father was the founder of the Akron Equipment company,( which produced tire molds). -
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Oberlin College
Quine attended Oberlin College in Ohio. He received his Bachelor’s in Mathematics with honors in mathematical philosophy. -
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Harvard University
Soon after graduating Oberlin, Quine proceeded to acquire his PHD in Philosophy at Harvard University. During these years quine was well known for his dissertation on the Principia Mathematica by Whitehead and Russell. -
Beginning of Rivalry
Holding a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship, Quine visited Some other countries including Vienna, Warsaw, and Prague. It was in Prague where Quine met Carnap for the first time. These two would hold up a Friendly rivalry for some years over the Principle of Tolerance. -
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logic and set theory
Became a junior member in Harvard’s new Society of Fellows. Quine worked mainly in the application of logic and set theory. It was in 1934 that he published A System of Logic which was a revised version of his initial dissertation. -
Rescuing a Friend
Quine was responsible for saving another fellow Philosopher’s live during the World War 2. He invited (Jewish) Alfred Tarski to attend the Unity of Science Congress in Cambridge. The very lucky Tarski got on the las t ship leaving Danzig right before the Third Reich invaded Poland. -
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Joining the Fight against Germany
Quine joined the United States Navy working in intelligence deciphering messages between German Submarines. He had a very fruitful career as he retired as a lieutenant Commander. -
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Major Publishes
Quine published a numerous amounts of readings on mainly logic throughout the years. Some included: From a Logical Point of View, Word and Object, Set Theory and its Logic, Ways of Paradox, Ontological Relativity and Other Essays just to name a few.
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The end of W V. Quine
The great Willard Van Orman Quine finally met his demise in Boston Massachusetts. Quine had gave us a whole different perspective in language when it comes to science. He rejected the idea of distinction philosophy and empirical science. His criticism of Carnap, and of the Principle of Tolerance in particular, opened the way for something that could be called metaphysic.