Quine refers to the work of the American philosopher and logician Willard Van Orman Quine, who is known for his contributions to the philosophy of language and epistemology. He challenged the distinction between analytic and synthetic statements, arguing that our understanding of meaning is deeply interconnected with our empirical knowledge of the world. This perspective is often referred to as "holism." Quine's influential ideas include the "indeterminacy of translation," which suggests that there is no unique way to translate one language into another. His work has had a significant impact on various fields, including philosophy, linguistics, and cognitive science.