Question 1

Richard Rorty maintains that, even though each culture has its own constraints on inquiry (standards of rational discourse), there are universal constraints on inquiry that define the objective standpoint for everyone.

Accepted Answer

Richard Rorty was a relativist who believed that there are no universal constraints on inquiry and that all inquiry is situated within particular cultural and historical contexts. He rejected the idea of an objective standpoint for everyone.

Question 2

According to ontological realism, ontological investigation can disclose objective truth.

Accepted Answer

Ontological realism holds that there is an objective reality that exists independently of our perception or conception of it, and that ontological investigation can reveal objective truths about it. Therefore, according to ontological realism, objective truth can indeed be discovered through ontological investigation.

Question 3

Ludwig Wittgenstein rejected his own ideas in Tractatus as resting on an incorrect portrayal of the relation of language to the world.

Accepted Answer

Wittgenstein rejected his own ideas in Tractatus and developed a new philosophy of language in his later work, Philosophical Investigations, which rejected the idea that language is a picture or representation of reality.

Question 4

According to Saul Kripke, the meaning of a proper name for a thing is synonymous with a description of the thing.

Accepted Answer

According to Saul Kripke's theory of reference, the meaning of a proper name is not synonymous with a description of the thing. He argues that a proper name refers to an object directly, without the need for a description or associated properties. This is known as the "causal chain" theory of reference.

Question 5

Indeterminacy of translation is the idea that alternative incompatible translations of a language are equally compatible with the linguistic behavior of adherents or speakers.

Accepted Answer

This is the standard definition of the indeterminacy of translation proposed by philosopher W.V. Quine.

Quiz 9: The Pragmatic and Analytic Traditions

Richard Rorty maintains that, even though each culture has its own constraints on inquiry (standards of rational discourse), there are universal constraints on inquiry that define the objective standpoint for everyone.

According to ontological realism, ontological investigation can disclose objective truth.

Ludwig Wittgenstein rejected his own ideas in Tractatus as resting on an incorrect portrayal of the relation of language to the world.

According to Saul Kripke, the meaning of a proper name for a thing is synonymous with a description of the thing.

Indeterminacy of translation is the idea that alternative incompatible translations of a language are equally compatible with the linguistic behavior of adherents or speakers.