The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part Two)
May 30, 2022
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Replace Reconstruction With Psychology
- Quine argues we should replace armchair epistemology with psychology that studies how scientific concepts actually develop.
- He accepts using current science to explain the observation-theory link instead of seeking deductive foundations.
Science Assumed, Not Proved
- Science must be assumed rather than strictly proved because induction blocks a deductive foundation for science.
- Quine treats central scientific commitments (like causality) as revisable parts of theory, not unassailable foundations.
Reduction Fails; Meaning Is Experiential
- Quine criticizes Carnap's reduction attempts and verificationist meaning as impractical and often ineffable.
- He says meanings of physical discourse are better cashed out by their difference to possible experience, not long reductions.