In Conversation: W. V. Quine - Block Panel - Section 3

Willard Van Orman Quine, Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, has been described as the greatest living English-speaking philosopher. In this series, he takes part in an in-depth personal interview, and a penetrating analysis of his life's work in six panel discussions with some of today's leading philosophers. In discussions with some of today's leading philosophers. In discussions on his most important theses, Quine defends his views against the major criticisms—past and recent—to bring his position right up-to-date.

The Block Panel
Professor Ned Block is chairman of the philosophy department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He specializes in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and philosophy of psychology and his main area of current study concerns, he says, what we can learn about consciousness from neuropsychology. He has published widely in his fields, and has co-edited with Gerald Dworkin The IQ Controversy. He has written Imagery and edited two volumes of the Readings in Philosophy of Psychology.

In this program Professor Quine is questioned about his views on some of the major topics in philosophy of mind. His linguistic behaviorism is carefully examined and compared with programs in linguistics and neuroscience, and his gives his opinions on the field of cognitive science. The program concludes with Quine's views on the topics of mental causation and consciousness.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Ned
• Block
• Willard
• Van
• Orman
• Quine
• W.V.O.
• Philosophy
• Logicism
• Mind
• Linguistics
• Cognitive
• Science
• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Causation
• Consciousness

[oifqwoighoaivoiweg0q]

You're thinking of his reaction to Block's point in the first minute about correlating the same neural states to the different stimuli. But Quine is pleased because that is a blunder on Block's part--if different stimuli yield identical neural states, and that's what we call "inverted spectrum," then we do have objective empirical criteria for subjective experiences, and the puzzle about inherently introspective phenomena (qualia, etc) dissolves. This is not to suggest he's not open-minded.

[Huesos138]

Ah, Mary! I love that argument, it was one of the first with which I had to deal with as a student of the philosophy of mind. :P

[lourak]

"this would be a matter of rescuing something from that dismal mentalistic realm and giving it some RESPECTABILITY". Hmmmmmmm..........

[KripkeSaul]

Quine looks like he is tied to the chair so they can interrogate him...

[LiberalVichy]

W.V. Quine seems (seemed?) like a very open minded, intelligent guy. You can see he's happy that someone pointed out something he hasn't thought of.