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Full Idea
Unless we are prepared to believe that absolute position makes sense, the very idea of a point as an entity in its own right must be rejected as not merely mysterious but absurd.
Gist of Idea
The concept of a 'point' makes no sense without the idea of absolute position
Source
Willard Quine (Propositional Objects [1965], p.149)
Book Ref
Quine,Willard: 'Ontological Relativity and Other Essays' [Columbia 1969], p.149
A Reaction
The fact that without absolute position we can only think of 'points' as relative to a conceptual grid doesn't stop the grid from picking out actual locations in space, as shown by latitude and longitude.
| 18967 | A 'proposition' is said to be the timeless cognitive part of the meaning of a sentence [Quine] |
| 18968 | The problem with propositions is their individuation. When do two sentences express one proposition? [Quine] |
| 18969 | How do you distinguish three beliefs from four beliefs or two beliefs? [Quine] |
| 18970 | The concept of a 'point' makes no sense without the idea of absolute position [Quine] |