Abstract

A starting point of the discussion in this paper is the claim that one similarity between Wittgenstein's thought and Quine's is a form of holism with regard to the system of beliefs that human beings hold. I argue that this thesis can be plausibly supported on the basis of some of the writings of these two philosophers. The discussion of this similarity brings to light also some 'dissonance' between Wittgenstein and Quine. This difference is my point of departure from the mere analysis of these two authors to a consideration of one form of feminist empiricism, namely Lynn Hankison Nelson's view in Who Knows. From Quine to a Feminist Empiricism (1990).