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Single Idea 8803

[from 'Two Dogmas of Empiricism' by Willard Quine, in 19. Language / E. Analyticity / 4. Analytic/Synthetic Critique ]

Full Idea

Erasing the line between the analytic and the synthetic saved philosophy of language as a serious subject by showing how it could be pursued without what there cannot be: determinate meanings.

Gist of Idea

Erasing the analytic/synthetic distinction got rid of meanings, and saved philosophy of language

Source

comment on Willard Quine (Two Dogmas of Empiricism [1953]) by Donald Davidson - Coherence Theory of Truth and Knowledge p.158

Book Reference

'Epistemology - An Anthology', ed/tr. Sosa,E. /Kim,J. [Blackwell 2000], p.158


A Reaction

Note that this comes from the most famous modern champion of one of the main theories of meaning (as truth-conditions). Did anyone ever believe in reified objects called 'meanings'?

Related Idea

Idea 4717 If we abandon the analytic-synthetic distinction, scepticism about meaning may be inevitable [O'Grady]