Single Idea 10668

[catalogued under 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 11. Ontological Commitment / a. Ontological commitment]

Full Idea

By Quine's test of ontological commitment, if some children are sitting in a circle, no individual child can sit in a circle, so a singular paraphrase will have us committed to a 'group' of children.

Clarification

See Idea 10667 for Quine's test

Gist of Idea

We are committed to a 'group' of children, if they are sitting in a circle

Source

Keith Hossack (Plurals and Complexes [2000], 2)

Book Reference

-: 'British Soc for the Philosophy of Science' [-], p.414


A Reaction

Nice of why Quine is committed to the existence of sets. Hossack offers plural quantification as a way of avoiding commitment to sets. But is 'sitting in a circle' a real property (in the Shoemaker sense)? I can sit in a circle without realising it.

Related Idea

Idea 10667 A logically perfect language could express all truths, so all truths must be logically expressible [Quine, by Hossack]