Word and Object

by Willard Van Orman Quine

• ISBN13: 9780262670012
• ISBN10: 0262670011
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1964-03-15
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

Language consists of dispositions, socially instilled, to respond observably to socially observable stimuli. Such is the point of view from which a noted philosopher and logician examines the notion of meaning and the linguistic mechanisms of objective reference. In the course of the discussion, Professor Quine pinpoints the difficulties involved in translation, brings to light the anomalies and conflicts implicit in our language's referential apparatus, clarifies semantic problems connected with the imputation of existence, and marshals reasons for admitting or repudiating each of various categories of supposed objects. He argues that the notion of a language-transcendent "sentence-meaning" must on the whole be rejected; meaningful studies in the semantics of reference can only be directed toward substantially the same language in which they are conducted.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Language and Truth
Beginning with ordinary things	p. 1
The objective pull or, e pluribus unum	p. 5
The interanimation of sentences	p. 9
Ways of learning words	p. 13
Evidence	p. 17
Posits and Truth	p. 21
Translation and Meaning
First steps of radical translation	p. 26
Stimulation and stimulus meaning	p. 31
Occasion sentences. Intrusive information	p. 35
Observation sentences	p. 40
Intrasubjective synonymy of occasion sentences	p. 46
Synonymy of terms	p. 51
Translating logical connectives	p. 57
Synonymous and analytic sentences	p. 61
Analytic hypotheses	p. 68
On failure to perceive the indeterminacy	p. 73
The Ontogenesis of Reference
Words and Qualities	p. 80
Phonetic norms	p. 85
Divided reference	p. 90
Predication	p. 95
Demonstratives. Attributives	p. 100
Relative terms. Four phases of reference	p. 105
Relative clauses. Indefinite singular terms	p. 110
Identity	p. 114
Abstract terms	p. 118
Vagaries of Reference
Vagueness	p. 125
Ambiguity of terms	p. 129
Some ambiguities of syntax	p. 134
Ambiguity of scope	p. 138
Referential opacity	p. 141
Opacity and indefinite terms	p. 146
Opacity in certain verbs	p. 151
Regimentation
Aims and claims of regimentation	p. 157
Quantifiers and other operators	p. 161
Variables and referential opacity	p. 166
Time. Confinement of general terms	p. 170
Names reparsed	p. 176
Conciliatory remarks. Elimination of singular terms	p. 181
Definition and the double life	p. 186
Flight from Intension
Propositions and eternal sentences	p. 191
Modality	p. 195
Propositions as meanings	p. 200
Toward dispensing with intensional objects	p. 206
Other objects for the attitudes	p. 211
The double standard	p. 216
Dispositions and conditionals	p. 222
A framework for theory	p. 226
Ontic Decision
Nominalism and realism	p. 233
False predilections. Ontic commitment	p. 238
Entia non grata	p. 243
Limit Myths	p. 248
Geometrical objects	p. 251
The ordered pair as a philosophical paradigm	p. 257
Numbers, mind, and body	p. 262
Whither classes?	p. 266
Semantic ascent	p. 270
Bibliographical References	p. 277
Index	p. 287
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