Science is not a substitute for common sense, but an extension of it.
Willard Van Orman QuineRead
Confusion of sign and object is original sin coeval with the word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the inherent difficulty in understanding the relationship between language and reality.
Willard Van Orman Quine's quote suggests that the confusion between symbols (signs) and what they represent (objects) is a fundamental issue that has existed since language originated. This confusion can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations in communication and thought, as the essence of what we intend to convey often gets lost in translation through the words we choose.
Themes
LanguageUnderstandingCommunicationPhilosophyConfusion
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion on the nature of language, you might cite this quote to emphasize the complexities of interpretation.
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For me the problem of induction is a problem about the world: a problem of how we, as we are now (by our present scientific lights), in a world we never made, should stand better than random, or coin-tossing chances changes of coming out right when we predict by inductions. . . .
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Language is conceived in sin and science is its redemption.
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Meaning is what essence becomes when it is divorced from the object of reference and wedded to the word.
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Creatures inveterately wrong in their inductions have a pathetic but praise-worthy tendency to die before reproducing their kind.
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