What was Willard Van Orman Quine's naturalism?

Willard Van Orman Quine viewed philosophy not as a form of conceptual analysis, but as continuous with empirical science. He championed a commitment to working from within science itself, rejecting any transcendental viewpoints. This approach led him to develop an influential naturalized epistemology that aimed to explain how elaborate scientific theories are built from meager sensory input.

What we know

• Quine was the main proponent of the view that philosophy is continuous with science and represents the abstract branch of empirical sciences. [2]
• Quine's naturalism is characterized by a commitment to working from within and a rejection of transcendental viewpoints. [4]
• Quine attempted to understand science from within the resources of science itself, developing an influential naturalized epistemology. [2]
• Quine developed naturalized epistemology to provide an improved scientific explanation of how humans develop elaborate scientific theories based on meager sensory input. [2]

Where to go next

• what followedHow did Quine's naturalism influence the philosophy of mathematics?
• what caused itWhat are the historical roots of Quine's naturalism?
• how it workedHow does Quine's naturalized epistemology function in practice?
• compared withHow did Quine's views differ from traditional logical positivism?
• the bigger pictureWho was Willard Van Orman Quine?
• an unexpected connectionWho coined the term abstract object in philosophy?The philosopher best known for naturalizing epistemology and tying philosophy strictly to empirical science also coined the term abstract object.

Sources

• [1]Willard Van Orman Quine (Wikidata Q214969) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Willard Van Orman Quine · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Quine–Putnam indispensability argument · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Working from Within: The Nature and Development of Quine's Naturalism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Abstract and concrete · CC BY-SA 4.0