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Euphemism. Minced Oath, Doublespeak, Politeness, Etymology, Willard Van Orman Quine, George Carlin, Periphrasis, Circumlocution, Dysphemism ... Read more

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Willard Van Orman Quine was certainly the greatest analytic philosopher of the second half of the twentieth century. Born in 1908, he held the Edgar Pierce Chair of Philosophy at Harvard University from 1956 to 2000. He made highly important contributions to such areas as mathematical logic, set theory, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of logic. His best known works include From a Logical Point of View, Ontological Relativity and Other Essays, and his most influential Word and Object.

One of Quine's central doctrines is the 'indeterminacy of translation' - the assertion that there is no objective answer to the question of what someone means by any given sentence. This view was first put forward in Word and Object and was shocking enough to draw criticisms from other leading philosophers like Noam Chomsky and Richard Rorty. Eve Gaudet argues that these controversies stem partly from Quine's ambiguities and changes of mind, and partly from his readers' misunderstandings. Gaudet dissipates the confusion by examining afresh Quine's whole concept of 'a fact of the matter', and evaluating the contributions to the debate by Chomsky, Rorty, Friedman, Gibson and Follesdal in the light of her new interpretation.

This is the first book devoted to a defence of Quine's indeterminacy of translation doctrine. Unlike many who conclude in Quine's favour, Gaudet adopts a critical and nuanced approach to Quine's texts, showing that Quine sometimes changed his positions and was not always as clear and consistent as many assume. ... Read more

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The eleven essays in this volume cover all the central topics of W.V. Quine's philosophy. Quine (1908-2000) was perhaps the most distinguished analytic philosopher of the later half of the twentieth century.His celebrated attack on the analytic/synthetic tradition heralded a major shift away from the views of language descended from logical positivism.His most important book, Word and Object, introduced the concept of indeterminacy of radical translation, a bleak view of the nature of the language with which we ascribe thoughts and beliefs to ourselves and others. ... Read more

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W.V.O. Quine is one of the most influential of contemporary philosophers, whose work has ranged broadly across a great number of topics and issues in a career spanning some fifty years. In this collection a group of distinguished philosophers offers a sustained critical evaluation of the full range of Quine's writings. Among the topics addressed are interpretation, epistemology, ontology, modality, and mathematical truth. This is very much a"state of the art" collection that will influence all future discussion of Quine. ... Read more

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The author compares the philosophies of Quine and Wittgenstein, seeing how their holistic views of the world coincide. She argues that though they are allied in their sceptism about the possibilities for the assimilation of semantic and psychological concepts to those of the natural sciences and while they are both hostile to a Platonist conception of meaning, they are divided in their views, because of their different interpretations of holism. The conclusion reached is that Wittgenstein's visions of the interdependence of concepts, interests and activities are superior to Quine's epistemology because Wittgenstein's idea of different "forms of life" can free the reader from the conception of "fact" which is implicit in Quine's work and from the unintelligible scepticism about meaning which that conception brings with it. ... Read more

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These five volumes contain the most essential of the more than 2000 articles which have been written about Quine's work. Chosen for their clarity and brevity, they cover both basic ideas as well as objections to Quine's work. The collection is an ideal resource for students and scholars, containing difficult-to-find material as well as several articles written expressly for this set. ... Read more

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A new direction in philosophy
Between 1920 and 1940 logical empiricism reset the direction of philosophy of science and much of the rest of Anglo-American philosophy. It began as a relatively organized movement centered on the Vienna Circle, and like-minded philosophers elsewhere, especially in Berlin. As Europe drifted into the Nazi era, several important figures, especially Carnap and Neurath, also found common ground in their liberal politics and radical social agenda. Together, the logical empiricists set out to reform traditional philosophy with a new set of doctrines more firmly grounded in logic and science.

Criticism and decline
Because of Nazi persecution, most of the European adherents of logical empiricism moved to the United States in the late 1930s. During the 1940s, many of their most cherished tenets became targets of criticism from outsiders as well as from within their own ranks. Philosophers of science in the late 1950s and 1960s rejected logical empiricism and, starting in the 1970s, presented such alternative programs such as scientific realism with evolutionary epistemology.

A resurgence of interest
During the early 1980s, philosophers and historians of philosophy began to study logical empiricism as an important movement. Unlike their predecessors in the 1960s-for whom the debate over logical empiricism now seems to have been largely motivated by professional politics-these philosopher no longer have to take positions for or against logical empiricism. The result has been a more balanced view of that movement, its achievements, its failures, and its influence.

Hard-to-find core writings now available
This collection makes available a selection of the most influential and representative writings of the logical empiricists, important contemporary criticisms of their doctrines, their responses, as well as the recent reappraisals. Introductions to each volume examine the articles in historical context and provide important background information that is vital to a full understanding of the issues discussed. They outline prevalent trends, identifying leading figures and summarize their positions and reasoning, as well as those of opposing thinkers. ... Read more

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This volume on Quine includes 25 critical essays by contemporary philosophers such as William P.Alston, Ulrich Gahde, Geoffrey Hellman, Hao Wang and Charles Parsons and Quine's answers to these critics. The text also includes a bibliography of Quine's works and discusses his views on the philosophy of logic, methodology, logical theory, theory of language, ontology and epistemology and a biographical essay. ... Read more

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How we acquire our theory of the world is for W. V. Quine the central question of epistemology. Gibson sets forth Quine’s philosophy as a systematic attempt to answer this question; his analysis challenges those who might view Quine’s theses as multifarious and disparate.

Since many studies of Quine either attack of defend positions on specific issues, the broad scope of this essay makes it unusually valuable to philosophy students and to the general reader. ... Read more

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Translation, Physics and Facts of the Matter
It is manifestly obvious that Prof. Gibson has a knack for appreciating what Quine is up to in Quine's beautiful if somewhat enigmatic prose. Gibson's essay "Translation, Physics and Facts of the Matter" from the Schillp volume dedicated to Quine demonstrates that Gibson appreciates Quine's fundamental committment to the best physical science of the day. This helps to distinguish the indeterminacy of translation from the more general underdetermination of empirical theory, a distinction that apparently eluded Chomsky for an extended period of exchanges between himself and Prof. Quine. Gibson is to be regarded as a spectacular expositor of Quine's philosophy, and this work is surely an instance. ... Read more

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Over the course of his life, W. V. Quine, one of the twentieth century’s great philosophers, engaged and inspired, interviewed and critiqued countless scholars, critics, and students. The qualities that distinguished him in any discussion are on clear display in this volume, which features him in dialogue with his predecessors and peers, his critics and students.

The volume begins with a number of interviews Quine gave about his perspectives on twentieth-century logic, science and philosophy, the ideas of others, and philosophy generally. Also included are his most important articles, reviews, and comments on other philosophers, from Rudolf Carnap to P. F. Strawson. The book, which contains many previously unpublished manuscripts, concludes with a selection of small pieces, written for a broader public, that give a glimpse of the philosopher’s wide interests, his sense of humor, and his warm relations to friends. The result is a wide-ranging, in-depth, and finely nuanced portrait of the humanity underlying this great twentieth-century thinker’s philosophy.

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Lots of interesting bits
This is an excellent example of Quine at his best brought out by the act of dialogue with those most likely to bring out the best.
There is wonderful material on his relationship with B.F. Skinner and who got who interested in what. Nice critique of Rorty's interpretation of Q's own work. Lots of interesting bits like that.
... Read more

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This is a new and highly original monograph examining Quine's naturalism, an issue central to the work of this hugely influential analytic philosopher.W. V. Quine was the most important naturalistic philosopher of the twentieth century and a major impetus for the recent resurgence of the view that empirical science is our best avenue to knowledge. His views, however, have not been well understood. Critics charge that Quine's naturalized epistemology is circular and that it cannot be normative. Yet, such criticisms stem from a cluster of fundamental traditional assumptions regarding language, theory, and the knowing subject - the very presuppositions that Quine is at pains to reject. Through investigation of Quine's views regarding language, knowledge, and reality, the author offers a new interpretation of Quine's naturalism. The naturalism/anti-naturalism debate can be advanced only by acknowledging and critiquing the substantial theoretical commitments implicit in the traditional view. Gregory argues that the responses to the circularity and non-normativity objections do just that.His analysis further reveals that Quine's departure from the tradition penetrates the conception of the knowing subject, and he thus offers a new and engaging defence of Quine's naturalism. ... Read more

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A must read for anyone interested in philosophy!
This is without a doubt the clearest explanation of Quine's work to date. Gregory takes the dense and misunderstood and delivers it in a clear and concise package. By examining the assumptions implicit in the traditional epistemology, Gregory is able to offer new views on Naturalism that Quine's critics must acknowledge.

Bravo! ... Read more

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This brief text assists students in understanding Quine's philosophy and thinking so that they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the "Wadsworth Philosophers Series," (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON QUINE is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher better enabling students to engage the reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

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Tedious entry in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series, but at least you get a "taste" of fine Quine.
John V. Karavitis has read this entry in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series and is now reviewing it.I had read that Quine was "THE" most important philosopher of the 20th Century, so I had him on my John V. Karavitis radar to look into and learn about.His claim to fame is that he has allegedly dispensed with the "analytic vs. synthetic" distinction in philosophy.Funny thing about philosophers John V. Karavitis thinks, since most agree with Quine re this issue, but few really truly understand Quine.Quine also appears to be hooked onto the idea that science is the only true way for Man to get knowledge about the world.Thus, Quine's epistomology informs his metaphysics (as opposed to John V. Karavitis favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, whose metaphysics informs her epistomology).With apologies to "real" philosophers, John V. Karavitis believes that Quine has nothing much to say, but he says it well.On and on and on about the miuntiae and trivialities of his "great ideas".No wonder many colleges are dropping their Philosophy Departments - science has pretty much answered all of our deepest questions.Proof of this?John V. Karavitis says:Look at Quine drone on and on about how science is the true way for Man to get knowledge about the world.This entry in the Wadsworth Philosophy Series is a good start to get exposed to Quine, but, if that's all Quine has to say, well, either Quine is severely over-rated as a philosopher, or this book desperately needs a serious re-write.Three stars - read it, but don't depend on it.John Karavitis. ... Read more

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Willard Van Orman Quine (1908-2000) was probably the most influential American philosopher of the twentieth century. In Trading Ontology for Ideology Lieven Decock offers an insightful analysis of the development of Quine's ontological views from his first texts in the early thirties onwards. The importance of Quine's work in logic and set theory for his ontology is highlighted. Decock argues that the tenet of extensionalism is at least as important as naturalism, and assesses the relation between the two. The other focus of the work is the relation between ontology, i.e. what there is, and ideology, i.e. what can be expressed by means of words. Decock shows that the interplay between ontology and ideology is far more complicated and interesting than has generally been assumed. ... Read more

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For fifty years, Willard Van Orman Quine's books and articles have stimulated intense debate in the fields of logic and the philosophy of language. Many scholars in fact, regard Quine as the greatest living English-speaking philosopher; yet his views remain widely misunderstood and misinterpreted. This book provides the first major explication and defense of Quine's systematic philosophy and is ideally suited for use as a required or supplementary text in a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy and linguistics.The book explores the far-reaching implications of Quine's views on language for contemporary analytic philosophy. It is unique in providing a lucid and rich description and reconstruction of the historical context from which Quine's work grew, focusing in particular on the role that Russell and Wittgenstein played in shaping the problems inherited by Quine. It presents Quine's difficult later views in an accessible fashion, bringing out as no other study has the very radical nature of his position. One of the book's highlights is its careful examination and assessment of Tarski's theory of truth as it relates to the traditions of Russell and Wittgenstein and to Quine's own philosophy.George D. Romanos took his Ph.D. in philosophy under George D. W. Berry and Paul T. Sagal at Boston University. This book grew out of his dissertation with the active criticism and support of Quine himself. ... Read more

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Defends Quine's status as one of the most important 20th century philosphers
I am not a professional philosopher, but I did read most of Quine's books before this one.I was delighted to find that the book clarified my understanding, organized my thought, and presented me with the Big Picture.I also found it highly enjoyable.

Another reviewer downgraded this volume for, as I would say it, taking an uncritical stance toward Quine's work.This misses the point that Romanos is himself a working philosopher that happens to be directly influenced by Quine's work.

As the publishers note this is "...the first major explication and defense of Quine's systematic philosophy".Thus, the book is an open attempt to explain and _defend_ Quine.

The author succeeds admirably.He clarifies Quine's central contributions to philosophy, explores their implications, and addresses frequent misunderstandings of Quine's work by his critics.He makes a strong case for Quine's place among the very few most important and influental philosophers of the 20th century.

That means you're getting more than a "study guide" or encyclopedia entry for Quine.There's nothing wrong with those, but you'll have to look elsewhere.

If you are aware of Quine's work on a somewhat superficial level, are inclined to dismiss him for one reason or another, and/or don't see what the big deal is, then you should read this book.

For the non-professional, this book is a very useful, brief, and entertaining overview of Quine's philosophy.Quine had a very long career, and his work is scattered throughout a large number articles combined into a large number of books.Some of his papers are highly technical.It can be difficult to take it all in.

A look at Quine's philosophy
This book looks at Quine's philosophy and the consequences of Quine's conclusions on analytic philosophy.Though it is fairly lucid, his unquestioning acceptance of everything Quine says makes a lot of what issaid seem superficial. ... Read more

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Willard Van Orman Quine is one of the most influential analytic philosophers of the latter half of the twentieth century. No serious student of modern analytic philosophy can afford to ignore Quine's work.  Yet there is no doubt that it presents a considerable challenge. The book offers clear explication and analysis of Quine's writings and ideas in all those areas of philosophy to which he contributed (except technical matters in logic). Quine's work is set in its intellectual context, illuminating his connections to Russell, Carnap and logical positivism.  Detailed attention is paid to Word and Object, Quine's seminal text, and to his important theories on the nature of truth, knowledge and reality.  This text presents an account of Quine's
philosophy as a unified whole, identifying and exploring the themes and approaches common to his seemingly disparate concerns, and showing this to be the key to understanding fully the work of this major modern thinker.

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It conveys the big picture
Quine is a central figure in the analytic tradition within philosophy, a tradition that aims for clarity, so should we expect to be perplexed by his clear and elegant prose? There is a challenge in coming to terms with Quine's thought, which relates to the way it hangs together as a whole system. We can struggle to understand one aspect of his thought through failing to see how it fits into the whole scheme. Gary Kemp's book serves the invaluable purpose of taking the reader carefully and systematically through all the major facets of Quine's work such that we do get to see the big picture. For this reason it will be useful even to professional philosophers who have been familiar with various parts of Quine's work over many years.Even so, it is designed for the reader who is at an earlier stage, and for that reason prepares the ground with carefully phrased introductory material where required. In fact there is really no specific prior knowledge that is required, for wherever any technical notions appear they are carefully explained.What is required is patience and a certain level of concentration.The book starts with the intellectual origins of Quine's work and the key features of the work of predecessors, notably Carnap, is explained. There are plentiful quotations from the full range of Quine's work.While the emphasis is not on tracing the development of Quine's thought the reader's attention is drawn to places where there has been a shift of view or emphasis in later work.As an example consider the theme of the relationship between Quine's views about meaning and translation and his views about epistemology.Quine famously denies that our ordinary notion of meaning has a place in a scientific description of the world, and holds that our practice of translation can only be understood as dealing with a language as a whole.When it comes to epistemology Quine holds to a naturalized version, one that captures the way that science builds theory on the basis of observation. He thinks that only a whole theory can be tested against observations.Kemp describes the links between these ideas while pointing out (p. 79) how Quine's later work loosens the connection between them.This is a first rate book which philosophers will keep reaching for over many years.

A Surprising Tour de Force
This book is a tour de force. It covers a wide range of engaging topics (language, mathematics,
epistemology, truth, metaphysics, logic, and translation) and offers a refreshingly clear picture
of some of Quine's main ideas. It is obvious that Professor Kemp has a gift for demystifying
challenging ideas and topics, something all-too-rare in philosophy these days. In addition to
being an analysis of Quine's work, it is fair to say that this book equally serves as a road map to the key
themes and ideas in analytic philosophy and Quine's connection to some of its great figures
such as Russell, Carnap, Wittgenstein, and Frege. I think this book is a little gem for both
philosophers and general readers interested in science, logic, metaphysics and the philosophy of
language. Although this book is certainly not for "dummies", Kemp
makes it look easy! ... Read more

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Quine was one of the foremost philosophers of the Twentieth century. In this outstanding overview of Quine's philosophy, Peter Hylton shows why Quine is so important and how his philosophical naturalism has been so influential within analytic philosophy.

Beginning with an overview of Quine's philosophical background in logic and mathematics and the role of Rudolf Carnap's influence on Quine's thought, he goes on to discuss Quine's famous analytic-synthetic distinction and his arguments concerning the nature of the a priori. He also discusses Quine's philosophy of language and epistemology, his celebrated theory of the indeterminacy of translation and his broader views of ontology and modality.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Quine, twentieth century philosophy and the philosophy of language.