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Quine's statement -- "To be is to be the value of a variable" -- means that
{ 1 } - We only commit ourselves to an ontology by claims that say "There is something (bound variable) that is ..."
{ 2 } - Only matter exists.
{ 3 } - Ontology is just about words.
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1 is correct!
Quine's statement -- "To be is to be the value of a variable" -- means that
{ 1 } - We only commit ourselves to an ontology by claims that say "There is something (bound variable) that is ..."
{ 2 } - Only matter exists.
{ 3 } - Ontology is just about words.
For example, "There is something that is a prime number greater than a million" commits us to believing that such numbers are entities. And "There is some property (or characteristic) that red houses and red cars have in common" commits us to believing that properties (or characteristics) are entities.
Quine's statement doesn't tell us which ontology is true or which we should accept. It only tells us how we commit ourselves to a given ontology.
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2 is wrong. Please try again.
Quine's statement -- "To be is to be the value of a variable" -- means that
{ 1 } - We only commit ourselves to an ontology by claims that say "There is something (bound variable) that is ..."
{ 2 } - Only matter exists.
{ 3 } - Ontology is just about words.
What were you drinking when you read Quine?
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3 is wrong. Please try again.
Quine's statement -- "To be is to be the value of a variable" -- means that
{ 1 } - We only commit ourselves to an ontology by claims that say "There is something (bound variable) that is ..."
{ 2 } - Only matter exists.
{ 3 } - Ontology is just about words.
Quine says that ontology is about what exists -- which isn't "just about words." However, he is interested in what words (or beliefs) commit us to what views about ontology.
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the end