W. V. O. Quine was an influential American philosopher and logician, born in 1908 and passing away in 2000. He is best known for his work in the philosophy of language and epistemology, challenging the distinction between analytic and synthetic statements. Quine argued that our knowledge of the world is interconnected and that no statement is immune to revision. Quine's ideas contributed significantly to the development of naturalized epistemology, which emphasizes the role of empirical science in understanding knowledge. He also introduced the concept of the "web of belief," suggesting that beliefs are interconnected and that changes in one belief can affect others.