Ontological Relativity and Other Essays

174 Pages·1969·2.218 MB·English

by  Quine, W.V.

�
:<
0
c
-
z
m
Ontological
Relativaintdy
Other Essays
W. V.
by Quine
ColumbUinai veyr sPirtess
New York
Thivso lumceo nsiosftt hse fi rst thoeJf o hnD eweyL ectures
delivearteC do ulmbiUan iversuintdyet rh ea uscpesi oft he
Departn1oefnP th ilosophyfi veaa ndddi tioensasla Wys..V .
Quinies E dgarP iercPreo sfseoorf P hilosopahtyH arvard
University
Copyrig1h9t6W©9. V .Q uine
ISB0N- 2-3013307-9
LibroafCr oyn grCeastsa ClaorgNd u mbe7r2:1- 9121
Prinitnte hdUe n itSetda toefAs m erica
109 8 7 6 5
Preface
Thet itelses aoyft hibso owka s
prseentaesda paiorf l ectuorfet sh es amet italteC oulmbia
26 281,9 68.
UniversMiatryc,h and They conisttuttehdefi rst
oft heJ ohnD eweyL ecturwehsi,c ahr et ob ed elirveedb i­
ennialDleyw.e yw asp rofesosfop rh ilosoapthC yo lumbia
1905 1930.
from until
A weeka fteIr g avteh es econlde ctutrheet, w ol ectures
appearbeydp ermissoifCo onl umbUinai versaisat nya rticle
JouronfPa hloi slophy.
int he I haves ince corarnedc t­eexd
56f
pandeodn er emartkh;e i mprovemceonmte is np ages
61,
and where selvienneo sfo ldt exhtav eg ivewna yt oa
pagea nda h alfo fn ewM.i chaJeulb ifeonu ntdh ee rrro.
I hadg ivens inglleec tuurned etrh es amet italteY ale
a
1976,
andt heU niversoifCt hyi cagoe alarysa sM ay but it
wasn on eaarp proatcowh h ati sn owb efourseM. y thoughts
on them atter maatpuprreedc iain btlhye intertveenn ing
monhts.
To heolrpi etnhter eadetrh,et itelses aiysp recedientd h e
volumbey " Spkeianogf O bjectTsh.i"ws a sm y presidential
I Praecfe
vi
addretsots h ee astedrinv isoifot nh eA mericPahni losolp hica
1957,
Assotciioainn andi t riesp rinftreodmt hea ssioaction�s
ProecdeinagnsAd d dre1s9s5e8s,,
withp ermissTihoines.s say
1960
stemmefdrm o my worki np rogrewshsi,c ihn became
Word Oabnfde ct.
Considerpaabrlteos f S ectionIsI and
IIIo f" Spaekinogf O bjects" vreercabutrim i n Setcinos
19a nd25 ofW oradn Odb efcatn,do thepra rtosft hee ssay
recuirn t habto oki ns ubstanFcoert. h arte asoIn o mitted
TheW ays
"Speiankgo fO bjectfsr"o mm y rececnto llteicon
ofP arxaa dnoOdt hEesrs ays,
andh adm eantto o miitt f rom
thep resevnotlm ue.
HoweveBru,r toDnr ebehna sp ersuamdee dt ha"tS pkeiang
ofO bjcetsi"ss traenlgye fficacioiungs i vgi nreaedrsa better
Woradn dO bject.
understanodfwi hnagt I wasu p to in He
Woradn d
findsm oreovtehra stt udenatnsdo thecrr itoifc s
Object
arel argeulnya waroef" Spkeianogf O bjectdse,s"p ite
ithsa vinbge enan thologtihzreede tiinEm nesgl isahn do nce
inS panisAhp.p reciaatsiI n g dhoo \wve lDlr ebeunn der­
stanmdys poionftv iewa nd hoewff eicvteh eh asb eena t
interpreittIi, an mg followhiinsag d vicaen dr eprinttihneg
essaiyna tct.
Ther emainfionugr esisnta hyebs o oka reo fr ecevnitn tage.
They wearler eaadtyp resbseo fret hibso okw ast hougohf,t
and thsetyia lrle S.o meo ft hemw ildlo ubtlaepspse ari,n
thesire veroarli gipnlaalc eash,e aodf t hibso ok.
Thefi rsotft hef our-hentcheet hirodf tshiex -si "pEi ste­
9,
moloyg NaturiazledI.p "r esenittae tdV iennoan S eptember
1698,
as ainn vtieda ddretsost heF ourteeInntthe rnational
CongreosfsP hilosoIpthi yst. o a ppeairn t hea ctosf t hat
congreasnsdi, s i ncludientd h ep resent bopoekr mbiys sion
oft hes ecretoaftr hye c ongreAstst .h em iddloef thees saay
fewl ines bheaevned roppedi n favocrr oosfs -refetroe nces
Praecfe vii
I
otheprar tosf t heb ook. A sdiemelitliaohrna s bemeand ea t
thee nda nda t iann termedpioaitnaetn ,d a notien serted.
Largpeo rtioofn" sE pistemyo Nlatougraliwzeerdea" d apted
froma nu npuibslheAdr nolIds enbeMremgo riaLlec turteh at
191,9 65,
I gavea tM ichigaSnta teU niversointN yo vember
undetrh et it"lStei mulaunsd M eaningT.h"er efo"rEep iste­
moloyg Naturalizsehdo"u lbde seena sd edicatteotd h e
memoroyf Arn old Isenbearsgi ,s" OntologRieclaavlti ityt"o
them emoryo fJ ohnD ewey.
Thef oureths sa"yE,x isteanncdQe u antificatwiaospn r,e"­
pared af coorl luoiqumh elda tt heU niveirtsyo fW estern
4,1 966.
OntarNioov,e mber On thadta yt hep lanweh icwha s
takingt omm ee etm y audienwcaesf orcdeodw n bay s torm.
ButJ osepMhar golhiasdp rudenotbltya inaenad d vanccoep y
ofm y paper, tahnihdse r eatdo m y audienwchei lIe l an­
guihsedi nB uffalIos .u bqsueentrleya dt hep apeartP rinceton
andB randeainsd,i th as improTvheedp .r esent viesr sion
Facatn d
aboutto a ppeairnt hec olloquvioulmu me, Exist­
ence.
Iti sr eprinhteerdbe y k ind permisBsaisoiBnll a cokf­
welaln dt heU niveyr soifTt oronto Pwrheohs osl,td h ec opy­
righatn,d JosMeaprhg olIist. ailss aob otu toa ppera,b y
similpaerr missiinot nh,en ewq uarterrA lgyede laS cience.
Thefi ft,h" NaturKailn dsi,sd" e dicattoeC dar lG .H empel.
I trtuhsatbt y t het imeth ibso okc omeosu tt herwei lnlo
longebre a breach secoufr itiyns ayintgh atA lanR oss
Fe sstchtr if
Andershoansb eene ditinag forH empelI. wr ote
"NaturKailn dsf"o rt havto lumaen,d t haitsw herteh ec opy­
righgto esM.ea nwhiIl aem includiithn egr wei tAhn derns'os
kinpde rmissIir oena.ed a rldirearsf o tfth is paapsel re ctures
171,9 67,
atL ongI slaUnndi versBirtoyo,k lOycnt,o ber and
7.
theU niversoifCt oyn necticDuetc,e mber
Thes ixtahn dl as"tP,rp oositiOobnjaelc tissa, l"e tcuret hat
viiIi P raecfe
I gavea tA.m hersCto lletghee,U niversoifMt iyc higathne,
UniversoiftC yh icagaon,d t heU niversoiftI yl linaoti s
Critica,
Urbanian tshper ionfg1 96I5t.i s a bouttoa ppeianr
and riesp rinhteerde wtihteph e rmissoifto hne e ditoorfs
thaqtu arterly.
w.v .Q .
CambridgMea,s s.
1968
November,
Contents
1 Speagko ifOn bjects
1
26
OntoloRgeilcaatli vity
2
3 EptiesmolNoagtyu raliz6e9d
4 ExistaennQdcu neat ificat9i1o n
5 Natural Kinds 141
ProposOibtjieocntasl 139
6
Index 161

1
Speakngi
of
Objects
I
We are ptroto anlkea ndt hink
ofo bjecPthsy.s iocbajle catrset heo bvioiulsl ustration when
thei llustrmaotoidiv soe n u s, tbhuetr e aalrsaeol t lh ea bstract
objtesco,r s ot herpeu rpotrotb e:t hes tates and qualities,
numberast,t urtibesc,l aesssW.e persiisnbt r aekinrge ality
downs omehoiwn tao m ultiploifci idteyn tifiaanbddl ies crim­
inabolbej ecttobs e,r efertroeb dys ingualnadrg enertaemlrs .
We talsko i nveteroafto ebljyte sct hatto s ay wdoe ssoe ems
almotsots anyo thiantag l l;h ofwoe rl siest herteot alk?
Iti sh ardt os ayh ow etlhseer ies ttaol nko,t b ecauosuer
objteifcyipnagt teirsan n i nvaritarbaloiefth umann aturbeu,t
becauwseea rbe ountdo a dapatn ya lipeant tetroon u ro wni n
thev erpyr oceosfus n derstnagno dri transtlhaeat liinesgne n­
tences.
Imagiann ee wldyi scovetrriewbdhe o slea nguaigswe i thout
knowna ffintieisT.h el inguhiasst l teoa rtnhe l anguadgier ectly
by obs�rvwihnagt t hen ativessa y unodbesre rvceidr cum­
stanceensoc,un teroerdc ontvreidH.e makeas fi rsctr udbee ­
ginnibnygc ompiinlgn atitveer mfso re nvironoibnjge cbtust;