"Ontological relativity and other essays" - A difficult journey through Quine's worldview
W. V. Quine's philosophical writings are renowned for their complexity and technical language. In his book "Ontological Relativity and Other Essays," Quine presents his worldview through a series of essays that can be a challenging read even for the most experienced philosophers. Here, we will explore some of the key ideas from this work and attempt to shed some light on the intricate concepts Quine presents.
The first essay, "Ontological Relativity," introduces the idea of indeterminacy of translation, which challenges the notion that there is a single, definite meaning to words in different languages. Quine argues that there are different ways of translating a given word or phrase, none of which are privileged over the others. This indeterminacy has significant implications for our understanding of knowledge and the nature of reality, as it undermines the idea of a fixed, objective reality that can be accessed through language.
The next essay, "Two Dogmas of Empiricism," is perhaps the most famous essay in the book. In it, Quine challenges the traditional distinction between analytic and synthetic statements, arguing that all statements are "underdetermined" by the empirical evidence. This means that our beliefs are not justified by some set of self-evident truths or empirical observations, but rather by a web of beliefs that hang together through our best efforts at finding coherence.
In "The Scope and Language of Science," Quine expands on the idea of underdetermination by arguing that our theories of the world are always underdetermined by the available evidence. He uses the example of the theory of electrons to show that different theories can be equally well-supported by the available evidence, and that our choice between them is ultimately a matter of pragmatic considerations.
In the final essay, "Carnap and Logical Truth," Quine revisits the distinction between analytic and synthetic statements, but from a different angle. He argues that the notion of logical truth, which was central to the logical positivists' conception of analyticity, is itself a matter of convention rather than objective fact. Quine's argument depends on his holistic view of language, in which words and sentences derive their meaning from their role in the overall network of beliefs that make up our language.
Overall, "Ontological Relativity and Other Essays" is a challenging but rewarding read for anyone interested in the philosophy of language and metaphysics. Quine's ideas about underdetermination, indeterminacy of translation, and the holistic nature of language continue to influence philosophical discussions to this day. While his work may be difficult to absorb at first, it offers a unique and valuable perspective on our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
