Quine on Ontological Commitment in Light of Predicate-Functor Logic

John Collins

doi:10.1093/oso/9780198864288.003.0004

Quine on Ontological Commitment in Light of Predicate-Functor Logic

John Collins

Philosophy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Quine is renowned for offering a criterion of ontological commitment in terms of the values of bound variables. Simultaneously, however, Quine had a long-standing interest in formal systems that dispense with variables and quantifiers that permit variables to be explained away. The chapter seeks to resolve this often-neglected tension in a way that is sensitive to Quine’s allegiance to first-order logic, but is somewhat relaxed about the connection between semantics (/truth) and ontology.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Quine, Structure, and Ontology
Editors	Frederique Janssen-Lauret
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Chapter	4
Pages	56-81
Number of pages	26
ISBN (Electronic)	9780198864288
ISBN (Print)	9780198864288
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198864288.003.0004
Publication status	Published - 19 Nov 2020

Keywords

First-order logic
Ontological commitment
Ontological nihilism
Predicate-functor logic
Translation

Access to Document

10.1093/oso/9780198864288.003.0004

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/quine-structure-and-ontology-9780198864288?cc=gb&lang=en&

Cite this

@inbook{ef7bd7f9824e40dfb87e1cfeed91e241,

title = "Quine on Ontological Commitment in Light of Predicate-Functor Logic",

abstract = "Quine is renowned for offering a criterion of ontological commitment in terms of the values of bound variables. Simultaneously, however, Quine had a long-standing interest in formal systems that dispense with variables and quantifiers that permit variables to be explained away. The chapter seeks to resolve this often-neglected tension in a way that is sensitive to Quine{\textquoteright}s allegiance to first-order logic, but is somewhat relaxed about the connection between semantics (/truth) and ontology.",

keywords = "First-order logic, Ontological commitment, Ontological nihilism, Predicate-functor logic, Translation",

author = "John Collins",

year = "2020",

month = nov,

day = "19",

doi = "10.1093/oso/9780198864288.003.0004",

language = "English",

isbn = "9780198864288",

pages = "56--81",

editor = "Frederique Janssen-Lauret",

booktitle = "Quine, Structure, and Ontology",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

address = "United Kingdom",

}

TY - CHAP

T1 - Quine on Ontological Commitment in Light of Predicate-Functor Logic

AU - Collins, John

PY - 2020/11/19

Y1 - 2020/11/19

N2 - Quine is renowned for offering a criterion of ontological commitment in terms of the values of bound variables. Simultaneously, however, Quine had a long-standing interest in formal systems that dispense with variables and quantifiers that permit variables to be explained away. The chapter seeks to resolve this often-neglected tension in a way that is sensitive to Quine’s allegiance to first-order logic, but is somewhat relaxed about the connection between semantics (/truth) and ontology.

AB - Quine is renowned for offering a criterion of ontological commitment in terms of the values of bound variables. Simultaneously, however, Quine had a long-standing interest in formal systems that dispense with variables and quantifiers that permit variables to be explained away. The chapter seeks to resolve this often-neglected tension in a way that is sensitive to Quine’s allegiance to first-order logic, but is somewhat relaxed about the connection between semantics (/truth) and ontology.

KW - First-order logic

KW - Ontological commitment

KW - Ontological nihilism

KW - Predicate-functor logic

KW - Translation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113095011&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/oso/9780198864288.003.0004

DO - 10.1093/oso/9780198864288.003.0004

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 9780198864288

SP - 56

EP - 81

BT - Quine, Structure, and Ontology

A2 - Janssen-Lauret, Frederique

PB - Oxford University Press

ER -

Quine on Ontological Commitment in Light of Predicate-Functor Logic

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Profiles

John Collins

Cite this