more from Willard Quine

Single Idea 18209

[catalogued under 11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 2. Phenomenalism]

Full Idea

There is no likelihood that each sentence about physical objects can actually be translated, however deviously and complexly, into the phenomenalistic language.

Gist of Idea

We can never translate our whole language of objects into phenomenalism

Source

Willard Quine (On What There Is [1948], p.18), quoted by Penelope Maddy - Naturalism in Mathematics III.2

Book Reference

Maddy,Penelope: 'Naturalism in Mathematics' [OUP 2000], p.173