He had just won the 1996 Kyoto Prize in Creative Arts and Moral Sciences. A fax on his office door soon confirmed the news. Like fellow winners in two other categories, he will formally accept the money, a diploma, and a gold medal on Nov. 10 as part of a four-day celebration in Kyoto, Japan, starting Nov. 9. Quine, who previously lectured in Japan in 1959, will also deliver a public talk and lead a specialists' workshop. Now I'm taking them home.
Quine is one of the most important philosophers of our time.
His work has had decisive impact on thinking about the nature of language and our knowledge of the world. In more than 20 books that have been translated into some 50 languages, Quine has addressed topics both weighty and whimsical. Noted for his wit, compendious scholarship, and generosity, he is best known for his contributions to the theory of knowledge and logic, and he has guest-lectured on five continents. Quine's most recent volume, From Stimulus to Science, appeared last October. He is currently preparing a book of selected papers.