Willard Quine's thesis of ontological relativity implies scheme-dependence of reference, yet even Quine maintained that empirical constraints from the world prune admissible theoretical schemes, preserving a substantive role for mind-independent reality in classification.

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Empirical constraints(what limits which theories are acceptable): Limitations and requirements that come from actual observations and experiences in the real world, rather than just from pure thinking.
Mind-independent reality(what preserves a role in classification despite scheme-dependence): The idea that the world exists and has certain features whether or not any person is thinking about it or aware of it.
Ontological relativity(the main thesis being explained): Quine's idea that what counts as a real 'thing' in the world might depend on which system of ideas or language we're using to describe it, rather than being fixed in nature.
Scheme-dependence of reference(consequence of ontological relativity): The concept that what a word actually refers to or points to in reality might change depending on the broader framework or 'scheme' of beliefs and language we adopt.

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