Quine suggests that we should accept the simplest ontology that fits our experience. But which of these two ontologies is simpler?
Quine suggests that we should accept the simplest ontology that fits our experience. But which of these two ontologies is simpler?
The phenomenalist scheme is simpler in that it accepts fewer kinds of entity. But the physicalist scheme leads to simpler laws of physics. So each of the views is simpler in one way and more complex in another. So simplicity can be an ambiguous criterion.
For this reason, Quine suggests that we need to develop conflicting ontological views as far as we can -- as we attempt to see which will ultimately prove to be the best.
Quine suggests that we should accept the simplest ontology that fits our experience. But which of these two ontologies is simpler?
The phenomenalist scheme is simpler in that it accepts fewer kinds of entity. But the physicalist scheme leads to simpler laws of physics. So each of the views is simpler in one way and more complex in another. So simplicity can be an ambiguous criterion.
For this reason, Quine suggests that we need to develop conflicting ontological views as far as we can -- as we attempt to see which will ultimately prove to be the best.
Quine suggests that we should accept the simplest ontology that fits our experience. But which of these two ontologies is simpler?
The phenomenalist scheme is simpler in that it accepts fewer kinds of entity. But the physicalist scheme leads to simpler laws of physics. So each of the views is simpler in one way and more complex in another. So simplicity can be an ambiguous criterion.
For this reason, Quine suggests that we need to develop conflicting ontological views as far as we can -- as we attempt to see which will ultimately prove to be the best.