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1、OnWhatThereIsWillardVanOrmanQuineReviewofMetaphysics(1948).Reprintedin1953FromaLogicalPointofView.HarvardUniversityPress.RevisedandreprintedlaterAcuriousthingabouttheontologicalproblemisitssimplicity.ItcanbeputinthreeAnglo-Saxonmonosyllables:„Whatisthere?‟Itcanbeanswered,moreo
2、ver,inaword—„Everything‟—andeveryonewillacceptthisanswerastrue.However,thisismerelytosaythatthereiswhatthereis.Thereremainsroomfordisagreementovercases;andsotheissuehasstayedalivedownthecenturies.Supposenowthattwophilosophers,McXandI,differoverontology.SupposeMcXmaintainsthere
3、issomethingwhichImaintainthereisnot.McXcan,quiteconsistentlywithhisownpointofview,describeourdifferenceofopinionbysayingthatIrefusetorecognizecertainentities.Ishouldprotest,ofcourse,thatheiswronginhisformulationofourdisagreement,forImaintainthattherearenoentities,ofthekindwhic
4、hhealleges,formetorecognize;butmyfindinghimwronginhisformulationofourdisagreementisunimportant,forIamcommittedtoconsideringhimwronginhisontologyanyway.WhenItrytoformulateourdifferenceofopinion,ontheotherhand,Iseemtobeinapredicament.IcannotadmitthattherearesomethingswhichMcXcou
5、ntenancesandIdonot,forinadmittingthattherearesuchthingsIshouldbecontradictingmyownrejectionofthem.Itwouldappear,ifthisreasoningweresound,thatinanyontologicaldisputetheproponentofthenegativesidesuffersthedisadvantageofnotbeingabletoadmitthathisopponentdisagreeswithhim.Thisisthe
6、oldPlatonicriddleofnonbeing.Nonbeingmustinsomesensebe,otherwisewhatisitthatthereisnot?ThistangleddoctrinemightbenicknamedPlato’sbeard;historicallyithasprovedtough,frequentlydullingtheedgeofOccam‟srazor.ItissomesuchlineofthoughtthatleadsphilosopherslikeMcXtoimputebeingwherethey
7、mightotherwisebequitecontenttorecognizethatthereisnothing.Thus,takePegasus.IfPegasuswerenot,McXargues,weshouldnotbetalkingaboutanythingwhenweusetheword;thereforeitwouldbenonsensetosayeventhatPegasusisnot.ThinkingtoshowthusthatthedenialofPegasuscannotbecoherentlymaintained,heco
8、ncludesthatPegasusis.McXcannot,indeed,quitepersuadehimselftha
