Gloria Origgi: Introduzione a Quine, Laterza, 2000

Table of contents in English:

Ch.1 An overview

1.1. A systematic philosopher

1.2. From Truth by Convention to From a Logical Point of View

1.3. Meaning and reference : From Word & Object to The Roots of Reference

1.4. Naturalism and epistemology : From Epistemology Naturalized to From Stimulus to Science.

 

Ch. 2 Truth and analyticity

2.1. Two dogmas of empiricism

2.1.1. Synonymy: Definition, substitutivity, semantic rules

2.1.2. The second dogma: Reductionism and verification

2.1.3. Epistemological holism and semantic holism

2.2. Carnap and truth

2.2.1. Logical empiricism and the rejection of metaphysics

2.2.2. Truth by convention: Meaning postulates

2.3. Logical truth and conventional truth

2.3.1. The definition of logical truth: Vacuous vs. essential occurrences

2.3.2. Logic and mathematics

2.4. Postulates, definitions and truth

 

Ch. 3 Quine's ontology

3.1. A naturalistic ontology

3.2. Reference and ontology: Quine and Russell

3.3. Ontological committment

3.4. The problem of abstract entities

3.5. Nominalism, conceptualism and realism

3.6. Logic, ontology and ideology

3.7. New Foundations and the solution of paradoxes

3.8. Ontologica reduction

3.9. Internal questions and external questions: Quine vs. Carnap

3.10. Ontological relativity

 

Ch. 4 The problem of meaning

4.1. A behaviouristic approach to language

4.2. Radical translation, observation sentences and stimulus meaning

4.3. Inscrutability of reference

4.4. Translation of logical connectives and the principle of charity

4.5. Analytical hypothesis and indeterminacy of translation

4.6. The roots of reference

4.6.1. Reception, perception and similarity

4.6.2. The parts of language

4.6.3. The ontogeny of reference

4.7. Indeterminacy and underdetermination: Chomsky vs. Quine

 

Ch. 5 The vagaries of reference

5.1. Referential opacity

5.2. Propositional attitudes

5.3. The policiy of extensionality and the regimentation of language

5.4. Against modal logic

 

Ch. 6 Naturalism and physicalism: Quine's epistemology

6.1. A new empiricism

6.2. Epistemology naturalized

6.3. Naturalism and normativity

6.4. Epistemology, semantics and ontology

6.5. Naturalism, realism, skepticism

6.6. Physicalism

6.7. The scientific method

6.7.1. Observation sentences

6.7.2. Observation categoricals, hypothesis testing and holism

 

Ch. 7 Quine and his critics: An overview of the debate around Quine's philosophy.

 

Chronology of life and works

 

Annotated bibliography