The influence of Quine and Davidson on Australian philosophy

J. A. Burgess

pp. 97-124

in: Jan Srzednicki, David Wood (eds), Essays on philosophy in Australia, Berlin, Springer, 1992

Abstract

W.V. Quine presented the Gavin David Young Lectures in the University of Adelaide in 1959; in 1968, Donald Davidson was the presenter of those lectures at the same university. Whilst neither event marked the beginning of interest in the works of these philosophers in Australia, both events marked the beginning of a dramatic increase in the level of interest shown by Australian philosophers in those works; and they marked these processes in the best possible way — by stimulating them. And it is no mere happy coincidence that the first two American philosophers to be widely influential in Australia should each have been introduced to Australian audiences "live', and at the height of their powers, through a lecture series organised by J.J.C. Smart. Smart had both a lively early awareness of the importance of Quine¹ and Davidson and an enthusiastic eagerness to promote interest in both quite generally. He came to support each on important matters of doctrine, without ever being a slavish disciple of either. He deserves our gratitude for both introductions, for even those who would disagree greatly with both Quine and Davidson on most matters of importance would find it hard convincingly to maintain that assimilating the work of these philosophers has done us more harm than good.

Cited authors

Davidson Donald

Quine Willard Van Orman