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Single Idea 12210

[from 'On What There Is' by Willard Quine, in 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 1. Ontologies ]

Full Idea

Quine's approach to ontology asks the wrong question, a scientific rather than philosophical question, and answers it in the wrong way, by appealing to philosophical considerations in addition to ordinary scientific considerations.

Gist of Idea

Quine's ontology is wrong; his question is scientific, and his answer is partly philosophical

Source

comment on Willard Quine (On What There Is [1948]) by Kit Fine - The Question of Ontology p.161

Book Reference

'Metametaphysics', ed/tr. Chalmers/Manley/Wasserman [OUP 2009], p.161


A Reaction

He goes on to call Quine's procedure 'cockeyed'. Presumably Quine would reply with bafflement that scientific and philosophical questions could be considered as quite different from one another.