Narrow Content

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Mind & Body, Reference & Language, Language Arts
Cover of the book Narrow Content by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne ISBN: 9780192557971
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: May 31, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
ISBN: 9780192557971
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: May 31, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

It is natural to distinguish, for any thinking creature, those events and states that are internal to the creature — its brain states, for example — from those that are not. Narrow mental content, if there is such a thing, is content that is entirely determined by the goings-on inside the head of the thinker. A central question in the philosophy of mind since the mid-1970s has been whether there is a kind of mental content that is narrow in this sense. One important line of thought — by 'externalists' — has been that so-called intentional states, such as wishing that they sky were blue and believing that the sky is blue, are, perhaps surprisingly, not internal: there could be twins who are exactly alike on the inside but differ with respect to such intentional states. In the face of this wave of externalism, many philosophers have argued that there must be some good sense in which our intentional states are internal after all, and that such narrow content can play various key explanatory roles relating, inter alia, to epistemology and the explanation of action. This book argues that this is a forlorn hope, and defends a thoroughgoing externalism. The entanglement of our minds with the external world runs so deep that no internal component of mentality can easily be cordoned off.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It is natural to distinguish, for any thinking creature, those events and states that are internal to the creature — its brain states, for example — from those that are not. Narrow mental content, if there is such a thing, is content that is entirely determined by the goings-on inside the head of the thinker. A central question in the philosophy of mind since the mid-1970s has been whether there is a kind of mental content that is narrow in this sense. One important line of thought — by 'externalists' — has been that so-called intentional states, such as wishing that they sky were blue and believing that the sky is blue, are, perhaps surprisingly, not internal: there could be twins who are exactly alike on the inside but differ with respect to such intentional states. In the face of this wave of externalism, many philosophers have argued that there must be some good sense in which our intentional states are internal after all, and that such narrow content can play various key explanatory roles relating, inter alia, to epistemology and the explanation of action. This book argues that this is a forlorn hope, and defends a thoroughgoing externalism. The entanglement of our minds with the external world runs so deep that no internal component of mentality can easily be cordoned off.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Ether and Modernity by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Mary Barton by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Mountains: A Very Short Introduction by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Paris Agreement on Climate Change by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Late Style and its Discontents by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Human Rights, Intervention, and the Use of Force by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Globalization for Development by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book America Bewitched by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Criminal Justice and Taxation by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Embodiment by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Mistake and Non-Disclosure of Fact by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Dance of Air and Sea by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Living with Ageing and Dying by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Turing Guide by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Organizational Traps : Leadership Culture Organizational Design by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy