Single Idea 8461

[catalogued under 8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 1. Nature of Properties]

Full Idea

The category of objects embraces indiscriminately what would anciently have been distinguished as substances and as modes or states of substances.

Gist of Idea

The category of objects incorporates the old distinction of substances and their modes

Source

Willard Quine (The Scope and Language of Science [1954], §6)

Book Reference

Quine,Willard: 'Ways of Paradox and other essays' [Harvard 1976], p.242


A Reaction

This nicely captures Quine's elimination of properties, by presenting them as inseparable from their objects/substances. Armstrong calls this 'Ostrich Nominalism' (for refusing to address the universals problem) but Quineans are unshaken.