Neurath

„Es gibt keine tabula rasa. Wie Schiffer sind wir, die ihr Schiff auf offener See umbauen müssen, ohne es jemals in einem Dock zerlegen und aus besten Bestandteilen neu errichten zu können. Nur die Metaphysik kann restlos verschwinden.“

I am one of the numberless thousands of people who encountered this wonderful image in the introduction to Word and Object. I don't know if Quine knew Neurath (tho' this is easily checked). Quine had very good German. The parallel with the Fliegender Holländer is quite cute but may not be significant.

I would love to read a biography of Neurath. Fascinating and attractive creature...barking and optimistic in a particularly twentieth century way. (The Logical Positivists were all crazy optimists) Look at it this way: with whom would you rather spend a summer afternoon in an English pub garden drinking slightly too much chilled white wine —Neurath, or Wittgenstein?

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