Preparing for Wed 1 Feb

On Wed 1 Feb, we will devote the entire class to a discussion of Quine's holism. To prepare for Wednesday's class, please do the following.

Read

• Section V of "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" -- posted on PolyLearn
• "Holism, Part I" -- Chpt. 9 -- This is Section VI of Quine's "Two Dogmas of Empiricism"
• "Holism, Part II" -- Chpt. 10

Think About

1. How is Quine's rejection of verificationism related to his holism?
2. How is Quine's holism related to Duhem's holism?
3. What, according to Quine, are the principles that govern how we make changes to our "web of beliefs"?
4. Is Quine correct that any proposition is revisable in light of a recalcitrant experience? Why or why not?

NOTE: If you are writing a response paper for this Wednesday, you must write on Chpt. 10.