more from Willard Quine

Single Idea 10241

[catalogued under 7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 2. Types of Existence]

Full Idea

Quine takes 'existence' to be univocal, with a single ontology for his entire 'web of belief'.

Clarification

'Univocal' means having only one meaning

Gist of Idea

For Quine, there is only one way to exist

Source

report of Willard Quine (On What There Is [1948]) by Stewart Shapiro - Philosophy of Mathematics 4.9

Book Reference

Shapiro,Stewart: 'Philosophy of Mathematics:structure and ontology' [OUP 1997], p.141


A Reaction

Thus, there can be no 'different way of existing' (such as 'subsisting') for abstract objects such as those of mathematics. I presume that Quine's low-key physicalism is behind this.