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Single Idea 3325

[filed under theme 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 11. Ontological Commitment / d. Commitment of theories ]

Full Idea

Theoretical entities (which is everything, according to Quine) are postulated by us in a threefold fashion as an object (1) to which we refer, (2) of which we predicate, and (3) over which we quantify.

Gist of Idea

For Quine everything exists theoretically, as reference, predication and quantification

Source

report of Willard Quine (works [1961]) by José A. Benardete - Metaphysics: the logical approach Ch.12

Book Ref

Benardete,José A.: 'Metaphysics: The Logical Approach' [OUP 1989], p.87


The 11 ideas with the same theme [ontological commitment of serious theories]:

Express a theory in first-order predicate logic; its ontology is the types of bound variable needed for truth [Quine, by Lowe]
Ontological commitment of theories only arise if they are classically quantified [Quine]
Fictional quantification has no ontology, so we study ontology through scientific theories [Quine, by Orenstein]
An ontology is like a scientific theory; we accept the simplest scheme that fits disorderly experiences [Quine]
Ontology is relative to both a background theory and a translation manual [Quine]
For Quine everything exists theoretically, as reference, predication and quantification [Quine, by Benardete,JA]
If the best theory of adverbs refers to events, then our ontology should include events [Davidson, by Sider]
Fundamental ontology aims at the preconditions for any true theory [Heil]
Accept the ontology of your best theory - and also that it carves nature at the joints [Sider]
To get an ontology from ontological commitment, just add that some theory is actually true [Maudlin]
Theories do not avoid commitment to entities by avoiding certain terms or concepts [Thomasson]