Quine, Structure, and Ontology

Contemporary work on ontology, logic, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of language still owes much to W.V. Quine. Nevertheless his views are now often dismissed because of mistaken or overly simplified conceptions of his philosophy. The development of his views over time are often overlooked, and in particular the growing importance of a kind of structuralism to his system as it evolved. This volume provides a fuller, richer picture of Quine’s views and their development. It is the first to investigate Quine’s views on structure and how it permeates and shapes his attitude to a range of philosophical questions. It includes contributions by world-famous philosophers and experts in a range of subfields including philosophical logic, philosophy of language, history of philosophy, mathematics, philosophy of time, and set theory. Chapters by Michael Resnik, Frederique Janssen-Lauret and Fraser MacBride, John Collins, Jaroslav Peregrin, and Paul Gregory explore whether Quine’s structuralism is epistemological, language-based, or ontological. Greg Frost-Arnold, Robert Sinclair, and Gary Kemp and Andrew Lugg explore Quine’s views on structure from a historical point of view. Nathan Salmón, Gila Sher, Marianna Antonutti Marfori, and Natalja Deng consider Quine’s views on the structure of logic, language, and theories in relation to contemporary philosophy, specifically ontology, the philosophy of logic and mathematics, philosophy of set theory, and philosophy of time.

Author(s):  
Frederique Janssen-Lauret

This introduction discusses the development of Quine’s system over time and the centrality of structure to it. It explains the contributions made in this volume to our understanding of Quine’s thought on structure and ontology, especially with respect to philosophical logic, philosophy of language, history of philosophy, mathematics, philosophy of time, and set theory. Chapters by Michael Resnik, Frederique Janssen-Lauret and Fraser MacBride, John Collins, Jaroslav Peregrin, and Paul Gregory explore whether Quine’s structuralism is epistemological, language-based, or ontological. Greg Frost-Arnold, Robert Sinclair, and Gary Kemp and Andrew Lugg explore Quine’s views on structure from a historical point of view. Nathan Salmón, Gila Sher, Marianna Antonutti Marfori, and Natalja Deng consider Quine’s views on the structure of logic, language, and theories in relation to contemporary philosophy, specifically ontology, the philosophy of logic and mathematics, philosophy of set theory, and philosophy of time.


Author(s):  
Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn

After millennia of mathematics we have reached a level of understanding that can be represented physically. Humankind has managed to disentangle the intricate mixture of language, metalanguage and interpretation, isolating a body of formal, abstract mathematics that can be completely verified by machines. Systems for computer-aided verification have philosophical aspects. The design and usage of such systems are influenced by the way we think about mathematics, but it also works the other way. A number of aspects of this mutual influence will be discussed in this paper. In particular, attention will be given to philosophical aspects of type-theoretical systems. These definitely call for new attitudes: throughout the twentieth century most mathematicians had been trained to think in terms of untyped sets. The word “philosophy” will be used lightheartedly. It does not refer to serious professional philosophy, but just to meditation about the way one does one’s job. What used to be called philosophy of mathematics in the past was for a large part subject oriented. Most people characterized mathematics by its subject matter, classifying it as the science of space and number. From the verification system’s point of view, however, subject matter is irrelevant. Verification is involved with the rules of mathematical reasoning, not with the subject. The picture may be a bit confused, however, by the fact that so many people consider set theory, in particular untyped set theory, as part of the language and foundation of mathematics, rather than as a particular subject treated by mathematics. The views expressed in this paper are quite personal, and can mainly be carried back to the author’s design of the Automath system in the late 1960s, where the way to look upon the meaning (philosophy) of mathematics is inspired by the usage of the unification system and vice versa. See de Bruijn 1994b for various philosophical items concerning Automath, and Nederpelt et al. 1994, de Bruin 1980, de Bruijn 1991a for general information about the Automath project. Some of the points of view given in this paper are matters of taste, but most of them were imposed by the task of letting a machine follow what we say, a machine without any knowledge of our mathematical culture and without any knowledge of physical laws.


Author(s):  
Sytniak R.M.

The purpose of the article is to highlight the views of linguists of the second half of the XX – early XXI century on the importance of synchronic and diachronic studies of lexical meaning and identify the tendency of modern linguists to consider synchrony and diachrony as components of one whole. With the help of synchronic-diachronic study of language, studies of lexical semantics are presented in an extremely wide range of works, which receive new opportunities to explain semantic processes and highlight similar dominant features in both structurally related and unrelated languages. The scientific interest of linguists can be directed both to the study of a particular morpheme and to the derivation of universal laws for the development of the lexical meaning of the world’s languages. The vast majority of studies, however, have a more or less clear distribution on the principle of synchrony and diachrony. The article highlights the current perception of diachronic research as one that consists of a number of studies of synchronous sections in the history of lexical meaning, and as a result is considered as one holistic effective study. In accordance with the purpose of the article, a general scientific method is used – an actualist method, which is based on the principle of historicism and allows modern knowledge to trace the development of certain linguistic concepts in the past and predict some trends in future theories. The methodological basis of the actualist method is the principles of historicism, causality, systematics and the principle of general connection of phenomena. As the result of the research it was established that the linguists of our time accept the idea of not confrontation, but of fruitful joint work of synchronic and diachronic research of lexical meaning, unity of synchronic description and historical reconstruction. The author concludes that from the point of view of modern linguistics, the dichotomy of synchrony and diachrony is quite conditional. Synchronous research is not opposed, but, on the contrary, is an important component of diachronic research, because diachronic analysis without synchronic one does not exist. The tacit ban on the use of language history data in synchronic analysis has been overcome.Key words: synchrony, diachrony, dichotomy, non-linguistic concept, interdependence, flexible way of thinking, scientific subjectivism. Метою статті є висвітлення поглядів мовознавців другої половини ХХ – початку ХХІ століття на важливість синхронічних та діахронічних досліджень лексичного значення та виявлення тенденції лінгвістів сучасності розглядати синхронію та діахронію як складники одного цілого. За допомогою синхронно-діахронного вивчення мови дослідження лексичної семантики представлені надзвичайно широким діапазоном праць, що отримують нові можливості пояснення семантичних процесів та виокремлення схожих домінантних рис як у споріднених, так і у неспоріднених мовах світу. Науковий інтерес мовознавців може бути спрямований як на дослідження окремої морфеми, так і на виведення універсальних законів розви-тку лексичного значення мов світу. Більшість досліджень усе ж мають більш-менш чіткий розподіл за принципом синхронії та діахронії. У статті висвітлюється сучасне сприйняття діахронного дослідження як такого, що складається із певної кількості досліджень синхронних зрізів в історії лексичного значення, і як результат – розглядається одним цілісним ефективним дослідженням. Відповідно до мети у статті використано загальнонауковий метод – актуалістичний, який бере за основу принцип історизму і дає змогу за допомогою сучасних знань простежити розвиток певних лінгвістичних концепцій у минуло-му та передбачити деякі тенденції майбутнього розвитку відповідних теорій. Методологічну основу актуалістичного методустановлять принципи історизму, причиновості, системності та принцип загального зв’язку явищ. У результаті дослідження встановлено прийняття лінгвістами сучасності ідеї не протистояння, а плідної сумісної праці синхронного та діахронного дослідження лексичного значення, єдність синхронного опису та історичної реконструкції. Автор доходить висновку, що з погляду сучасного мовознавства дихотомія синхронії та діахронії носить досить умовний характер. Синхронне дослідження не протиставляється, а навпаки, є важливою складовою частиною діахронного дослідження, тому що діахронний аналіз без синхронного не існує. Припинено мовчазну заборону на використання даних історії мови у разі синхронного аналізу. Ключові слова: синхронія, діахронія, дихотомія, нелінгвістична концепція, взаємозумовленість, мінливий образ мислення, науковий суб’єктивізм.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Sorochuk

The article raises the issue of the importance of Ukrainian studies by Ivan Ogienko, as a representative of the Ukrainian intellectual elite in emigration, because his works influenced the progress of cultural, educational and spiritual life of Ukrainians both in our country and abroad. It is known that he is one of the founders of Ukrainian science and education and an outstanding Ukrainian educator of the twentieth century. The role of preserving national identity, spiritual values, patriotism of the outstanding scientist, teacher, linguist, culturologist, public and church figure, Ivan Ogienko, through the prism of hard work, incredible diligence, stability and consistency in scientific research is emphasized. Attention is focused on the fact that the Ukrainian scientist was the bearer of national and cultural ideas and spiritual values of his people. The opinion is confirmed that the world recognition of I. Ogienko / Metropolitan Ilarion was brought by fundamental works on the history of Ukrainian culture, language, history of the church, which have not lost their scientific significance even today. The scientist-researcher made dictionaries, headed the Ministry of Education of the Ukrainian People's Republic, and being in emigration – headed the Ukrainian autocephalous Orthodox Church. It is worth mentioning the most common and used translation of the Bible into Ukrainian, on which Ivan Ogienko worked for more than 45 years. The article analyzes I. Ogienko's scientific achievements during the emigration, which significantly strengthened Ukrainian studies, and also considers the works "Pre-Christian Beliefs of the Ukrainian People", "Ukrainian Culture", "Serve the People - Serve God: Theological Studio" and others. The book "Our Life Abroad: Ideological and Historical Essays" by Ivan Ogienko, published in Winnipeg (Canada), where the author spoke about the difficult life of Ukrainian emigrants abroad, deserves attention and listening. I. Ogienko describes how important it is to preserve one's national identity, culture and native language in a foreign country. It is concluded that national culture has great potential for the establishment of Ukraine in the world cultural space, and the life and scientific and educational work of Ivan Ogienko became an example for many researchers in studying the socio-cultural heritage of the Ukrainian diaspora.


2018 ◽  
pp. 47-53
Author(s):  
Nina Mikhailovna Malinovskaia

An emergence of abstract mathematics and philosophy in the VI–IV centuries BC is considered in this article as the third information revolution (IR) associated with the transition of human practice to a higher level of complexity. The author traces in detail the history of philosophy and mathematics as educational disciplines. The problem of renewal of the curricula on philosophy for non-philosophical faculties is clearly posed in the work. The article also proposes a scheme of programs on the course of the philosophy of mathematics.


Phainomenon ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108
Author(s):  
Mafalda Faria Blanc

Summary This paper tries to analyse the historical and present contribution of phenomenology to the hermeneutics of traditions. This attempt is achieved by retracing, in main lines, the history of phenomenological movement, his birth, constitution and evolution. In this proposal, it is showed how, by his both internal and external critics, classic phenomenology is moved to open itself to other contemporary trends of thought, namely hermeneutics and philosophy of language, and, in dialogue with these and with the human sciences, to transform itself in a more fruitful way. This is truth, first of all, in respect of Husserl’s·thought, which evolves from static phenomenology, centered in the analysis of the noetic-noematic intentional correlation from the point of view of a transcendental idealism, to genetic and historical phenomenology, based on the “Ur-Impression” of the living-present, as the founding phenomenon-event of all meaning’s constitution. A decisive point is made by Heidegger in stressing the hermeneutic, discursive and historical character of all ontological understanding. This allows emphasizing the question of the sense formation (Sinnbildung), which precedes and enables all symbolic and signic institution of meaning (Sinnstiftung), therefore providing a guiding line for search on the topic of the historical constitution of language and traditions.


Author(s):  
A. J. Cotnoir ◽  
Achille C. Varzi

Mereology is the formal theory of parthood relations. Mereological theories—have become a chapter of central interest in metaphysics, but also with applications in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of science. This book provides a critical survey and an up-to-date assessment of the main results in this area, with an eye to both their philosophical underpinnings and their formal properties. In doing so, it also aims to investigate the varieties of formal systems currently available. After a brief history of the development of mereology, introductions to different axiomatizations of so-called classical mereology, alongside set-theoretic and algebraic models, are presented in a clear and accessible manner. The book addresses formal and philosophical issues surrounding the notions of parthood, identity, decomposition, atomism, composition, and more. As a result, the book, provides resources to aide the development of new, non-classical theories of parthood (such as non-well-founded mereologies, non-transitive mereologies, non-extensional mereologies, and more). Consideration is devoted to impact that the logical background has on mereological results (including higher-order, temporal, modal, non-classical logics). A detailed index, appendices, and a comprehensive bibliography makes this book an indispensable resource to researchers in every field where part-whole theorizing plays a fundamental role.


Author(s):  
Scott Edgar

Introduction to the Special Volume, “Method, Science and Mathematics: Neo-Kantianism and Analytic Philosophy,” edited by Scott Edgar and Lydia Patton.At its core, analytic philosophy concerns urgent questions about philosophy’s relation to the formal and empirical sciences, questions about philosophy’s relation to psychology and the social sciences, and ultimately questions about philosophy’s place in a broader cultural landscape. This picture of analytic philosophy shapes this collection’s focus on the history of the philosophy of mathematics, physics, and psychology. The following essays uncover, reflect on, and exemplify modes of philosophy that are engaged with these allied disciplines. They make the case that, to the extent that analytic philosophers are still concerned with philosophy’s ties to these disciplines, we would do well to pay attention to neo-Kantian views on those ties.


2006 ◽  
pp. 112-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Nazarov

The attempts to reconstruct the instruments of interbudget relations take place in all federations. In Russia such attempts are especially popular due to the short history of intergovernmental relations. Thus the review of the ¬international experience of managing interbudget relations to provide economic and social welfare can be useful for present-day Russia. The author develops models of intergovernmental relations from the point of view of making decisions about budget authorities’ distribution. The models that can be better applied in the Russian case are demonstrated.


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