Willard Van Orman Quine

Philosopher Logician American 1908 – 2000

Advanced analytical philosophy through logic; challenged traditional analytic-synthetic distinction.

381 quotes

"Every statement has truth conditions"
Philosophy
"The best theory is the simplest one"
Science
"Parsimony is a guide to truth"
Wisdom
"Abstract objects require justification"
Philosophy
"Sets and classes pose ontological problems"
Philosophy
"Learning requires openness to revision"
Education
"Coherence among beliefs matters more than individual certainty"
Wisdom
"Language and thought are inseparable"
Knowledge
"Translation is never perfect"
Philosophy
"Meaning is determined by use in context"
Philosophy
"Philosophy must be rigorous and precise"
Philosophy
"Ambiguity clouds philosophical understanding"
Truth
"Definitions are tools, not ultimate truths"
Education
"The pursuit of knowledge knows no bounds"
Knowledge
"Paradoxes reveal limitations in our thinking"
Wisdom
"Logic must adapt to our best science"
Science
"Our theories shape our perception of reality"
Knowledge
"Essentialism often misleads philosophy"
Philosophy
"Universals present deep logical puzzles"
Philosophy
"Nominalism offers simpler ontological foundations"
Philosophy
"Properties cannot exist without objects"
Philosophy
"Relations are as real as objects"
Truth
"Temporal logic requires special care"
Philosophy
"Past and future differ fundamentally from present"
Time
"Change requires careful metaphysical analysis"
Change
"Events are complex logical entities"
Philosophy
"Causation resists simple analysis"
Philosophy
"Counterfactuals reveal our understanding of possibility"
Philosophy
"Modality cannot be reduced to actuality alone"
Philosophy
"Possibility is part of reality"
Philosophy