Quiddities: An Intermittently Philosophical Dictionary
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Book Overview
The appellation "polymath" is often lightly bestowed, but it can be applied with confidence to the celebrated philosopher Willard Van Orman Quine. Quine's areas of interest are panoramic, as this lively book amply demonstrates.
Moving from A (alphabet) to Z (zero), Quiddities roams through more than eighty topics, each providing a full measure of piquant thought, wordplay, and wisdom, couched in easy and elegant prose--"Quine at his unbuttoned best," in Donald Davidson's words. Philosophy, language, and mathematics are the subjects most fully represented; tides of entries include belief, communication, free will, idiotisms, longitude and latitude, marks, prizes, Latin pronunciation, tolerance, trinity. Even the more technical entries are larded with homely lore, anecdote, and whimsical humor. Quiddities will be a treat for admirers of Quine and for others who like to think, who care about language, and who enjoy the free play of intellect on topics large and small. For this select audience, it is an ideal book for browsing.Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:B003192LRW
ISBN13:9780674743526
Release Date:March 1989
Publisher:Belknap Press
Length:249 Pages
Weight:0.90 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 6.0" x 9.2"
Related Subjects
Education & Reference Logic & Language Philosophy Politics & Social Sciences ReferenceCustomer Reviews
3 ratings
Essential for new readers of Quine, and much more
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
The 83 entries in this philosophical dictionary provide wonderful short discussions on a huge array of topics. It contains a diverse selection of entries on, e.g., real numbers, Godel's theorem, beauty, formalism, paradoxes, and on and on. Of course the selection emphasizes analytic philosophy, or its point of view, but this is what makes it handy to have when reading other more dense works by Quine. Quine is also a fine writer, capable of explaining a lot in a small space. This is definitely a book to have whenever some time is available for quiet reflection.
A little treasure chest
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
A marvellous, book this ranges from the Aleph-Bet to the Infinite. From Democritus's atomic theory to Godel's Theorem. If you like Borges, you will enjoy Quine.
A charming, elegant book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Though I was never his student, when I read of Prof. Quine's recent passing, I felt sad. Quiddities has been an intermittent companion for several years now, something to have always handy, good for a break from other thinking or reading, bracing air in a stale airliner cabin, light at the end of a thoroughly muddled day. Topics ranging from science to language, cosmology to Fermat's last theorem, this is a book to cherish, hold, and for me, the proverbial layman, a treasure trove of knowledge and judicious, informed opinion.
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