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 The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Making Medical Knowledge by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Rise of Modern Philosophy by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Jewish War by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Nuclear Dawn by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Does Spelling Matter? by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Night and Day by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Tropical Forests in Prehistory, History, and Modernity by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Expectancy and emotion by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book London Youth, Religion, and Politics by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Psychiatry of Adult Autism and Asperger Syndrome by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Impact of Market Forces on Addictive Substances and Behaviours by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Inheritance of Wealth by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book The Max Planck Handbooks in European Public Law: Volume I: The Administrative State by Juhani Yli-Vakkuri, John Hawthorne
Cover of the book Legislative Institutions and Lawmaking in Latin America 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