W.V.O. Quine
American analytic philosopher whose 'Two Dogmas of Empiricism' is the most influential essay in 20th-century analytic philosophy, attacking the analytic-synthetic distinction. Word and Object developed a thoroughgoing naturalist epistemology. He is the most important figure in postwar American philosophy.
Works
- From a Logical Point of ViewQuine's essays on logic, meaning, and metaphysics, arguing for naturalizing epistemology philosophically
- Word and ObjectQuine's foundational work on reference, meaning, and indeterminacy of translation between languages
- Ontological RelativityQuine's essays on the relativity of ontology, arguing what exists depends on one's conceptual scheme
- The Roots of ReferenceQuine's epistemological study of how language acquisition and knowledge develop from sensory stimulation
- Pursuit of TruthQuine's inquiry into epistemology and the methods by which we pursue and justify our beliefs and claims