Abstract

This paper deals with Quine's "inscrutability of reference" thesis. In particular, I aim to examine Quine's two problematic claims about this thesis.
The first is that reference is relative to a background language. The second claim is that inscrutability of reference extends to our own language, that is, reference is in-scrutable not only in the case of foreign languages but also of our own language. I shall argue that both these claims are untenable. To show the latter is untenable, I use Putnam's "brains in a vat" argument.