"Uncritical semantics is the myth of a museum in which the exhibits are meanings and the words are labels. To switch languages is to change the labels"

The quote by Willard Van Orman Quine critiques the concept of "uncritical semantics" by using a vibrant metaphor. He likens it to a "myth of a museum", where significances are the exhibits, and words are simply the labels attached to them. Through this imagery, Quine addresses the commonly held belief that meanings are repaired entities existing independently, simply awaiting labels in the type of words. In this view, one might metaphorically see indicating as a stable item in a museum that does not alter no matter the language (or label) used.

Quine, nevertheless, is renowned for challenging such traditional understandings. By referring to this belief as a "misconception", he suggests that this static view of semantics is excessively simple and misguided. He suggests that meanings are not universal and immutable artifacts that different languages simply label in numerous methods. Rather, significances are more dynamic, influenced by the context and structure of the language utilized to explain them.

In asserting that to "change languages is to change the labels", Quine seems to argue that the procedure involves more than a simple relabeling. This statement suggests that each language, with its unique structure and nuances, offers a distinct lens through which the world is comprehended. Subsequently, when one changes languages, the underlying understanding and analysis of the significance can shift. The language shapes how people view and arrange their experiences, indicating that significance is linked with linguistic structures.

Quine's metaphor advances the view that language and meaning are not different entities however synergistic phenomena. This concept presumes that different languages might not merely be various sets of labels for a repaired set of ideas but rather allow different understandings and analyses of truth. Therefore, Quine welcomes us to seriously engage with semantics, recognizing the intricate interplay in between language and meaning, rather than accepting simple or fixed analyses.