Beyond physicalism? Quine's open-ended naturalism and the possibility of the “supernatural”

Abstract

This paper argues that W. V. Quine, often seen as sci-entific naturalism's foremost champion, advances anexpansive ontology that leaves room for so- called su-pernatural phenomena-telepathy or clairvoyance-ifthey satisfy appropriate empirical tests. Contrary tothe image of a rigid physicalist, Quine's methodologicalcontinuity and fallibilism permit provisional inclusionof any entity, “physical” or not, when theoretically andempirically fruitful. His resolve to start “in the mid-dle” and treat philosophy as continuous with sciencecontrasts with stricter naturalisms that categoricallydismiss paranormal claims. Simultaneously, Quine re-jects a priori philosophical pronouncements, denyingautonomous or irreducible normativity beyond em-pirical science. Distinguishing Quine's “soft” natural-ism from reductive physicalism and liberal naturalistviews, the paper shows his position as inclusive regard-ing empirically testable phenomena yet methodologi-cally monistic in privileging science as ultimate arbiterof ontological disputes. Quine's openness to unconven-tional hypotheses underscores that naturalism neednot be metaphysically dogmatic but must remain an-chored in empirical inquiry.