Quine’s ontology
E1036183
Quine’s ontology is the philosophical framework developed by W.V.O. Quine that determines what kinds of entities exist according to our best scientific theories, famously summarized by the criterion “to be is to be the value of a bound variable.”
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ontological theory
ⓘ
philosophical framework ⓘ theory of existence ⓘ |
| aimsFor |
alignment of ontology with best science
ⓘ
ontological parsimony ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
formalized theories
ⓘ
ordinary discourse when regimented ⓘ scientific theories ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
indeterminacy of translation
ⓘ
naturalized epistemology ⓘ ontological relativity NERFINISHED ⓘ scientific realism ⓘ |
| basedOn | first-order predicate logic ⓘ |
| centralCriterion | to be is to be the value of a bound variable ⓘ |
| claimsThat |
accepting a theory commits one to the existence of its quantified entities
ⓘ
existence is expressed by existential quantification ⓘ ontological questions are questions about the values of bound variables ⓘ ontology is determined by what our best theories quantify over ⓘ |
| contrastsWith |
Meinongian ontology
ⓘ
Platonist ontology of abstract meanings ⓘ phenomenalist ontology ⓘ |
| developedBy | W. V. O. Quine NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
ontological commitment
ⓘ
relation between language and ontology ⓘ what there is ⓘ |
| influenced |
analytic metaphysics
ⓘ
contemporary ontology ⓘ philosophy of language ⓘ philosophy of science ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Fregean logic
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Russellian logic NERFINISHED ⓘ logical empiricism ⓘ logical positivism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| presupposes |
first-order extensional language
ⓘ
rejection of intensional logics for fundamental ontology ⓘ |
| rejects |
analytic–synthetic distinction as a basis for ontology
ⓘ
appeal to meanings as abstract entities ⓘ uncritical acceptance of intensional entities ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
desert landscapes in ontology
ⓘ
ontological commitment ⓘ regimentation of language ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
From a Logical Point of View
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
On What There Is NERFINISHED ⓘ Word and Object NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timePeriod | mid-20th century analytic philosophy ⓘ |
| usesTool |
bound variables
ⓘ
logical regimentation ⓘ quantification theory ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.