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Single Idea 13736

[from 'works' by Willard Quine, in 1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics ]

Full Idea

The Quinean task in metaphysics is to say what exists. What exists forms the domain of quantification. The domain is a set (or class, or plurality) - it has no internal structure. In other words, the Quinean task is to list the beings.

Gist of Idea

Quinean metaphysics just lists the beings, which is a domain with no internal structure

Source

comment on Willard Quine (works [1961]) by Jonathan Schaffer - On What Grounds What 1.1

Book Reference

'Metametaphysics', ed/tr. Chalmers/Manley/Wasserman [OUP 2009], p.348


A Reaction

I really warm to this thesis. The Quinean version is what you get when you think that logic is the best tool for explicating metaphysics. Schaffer goes on to say that the only real aim for Quine is the cardinality of what exists!