Philosophy of Mind
LectureVIII:
Interpretationism(s)
Davidson,Dennett
Interpretationism(s)
...afamilyoftheories.Centralobservation:
Mentalstates(beliefs,desires,etc)are ascribed toagentsin
thecourseofmakingsenseoftheirbehavior.
Thestatusofmentalstates:
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Ordinarycausallyefficaciousstates
Convenientfictionsthatenableustodescribeand
explainbehavior(instrumentalapproach)
Anagent – arationaldecisionmaker,beingcapableof
planninganddeliberation
Rational agent
Whatdoesitmeantoactrationally?
Onlyarationalagentcanbeirrational
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Irrationalactions
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Non-rationalactions
Canachildmakeill-consideredchessmoves?
Arethehoneybeesbehavingirrationally?
Davidson – an introduction
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Ascriptionsofpropositionalattitudesrequire
interpretation
Propositionalattitude:
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Aproposition (meaningofasentence)
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Attitudetowardstheproposition (belief,desire,hope,doubt,etc)
Iamconvincedthat Platoisaphilosopher
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Apropositionalattitude: intension andsemanticopacity
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Whataboutperceptualexperiences,mentalimages?
Translation and meaning
Frege,Wittgenstein:wordsowetheirmeaningstoroles
theyplayinsentences;sentences'meaningdependson
theirplaceinalanguage
ilpleut– itrains
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Translation,butwhatabout…
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…nativelanguagesentences?
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What'snext?Languageofthought(Fodor);proposition,
expressedbyasentence
Quine:understandingthemeaningofsentences:a
matterofbeingabletoputthosesentencestousein
waysthatmeettheapproval offellownativespeakers.
Quine and Davidson
Quineisinterestedintranslation – amappingofsentencesonto
sentences;translationisindetermined(‘Gavagai’problem)
Davidsonisinterestedratherininterpretation
Meaning: literal(truthconditions)and“speakermeaning”
Weproduceutterancesbecauseof:
(1)
whatwewanttocommunicate,
(2)
whatwebelieve,and
(3)
whatwetakeourutterancestomean
Interpretation isamatterofsolvingsimultaneouslythesethree
problems/unknowns.
Davidsoniantheoryofinterpretationisbasedon:
Radical interpretation
(1)Tarski's theory oftruth:
Thesentence 'S'is true if andonly if p
S– anativesentence
p – asentence ininterpreter's language;thetheory expresses
truth conditions or meaning oftheelementontheleft,'S'
Tarski's theory provides asystematic,recursive way of associating
'meanings'withsentences,but:
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Jokastais running
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Oedipus's mother is running
Thesametruth conditions,different meanings
Radical interpretation
(2)Decisiontheory
Providesanaccountingofagent'spreferencesforactions,given
thoseagents'beliefs (expressedasprobabilities)aswellas
desires(expressedas'utilities')
Davidson:Iascertain youpreferencesbyobservingyour
choicesandconstructatheorythatascribesbeliefsand
desires
But:whydoyouchooseanapplefromthebowloffruits?
Youascertainsimultaneously:beliefs,desiresandmeanings
Language and thought
Theoryofinterpretation(I-theory)assigns“contents”
simultaneously:tomyutterances and tomypropositional
attitudes.
Youasaninterpreter'adjust'apparentlyanomalousutterances:
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BysupposingthatyouarewrongaboutwhatImean
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BysupposingthatIhaveadesiretodeceiveyou
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BysupposingthatIambeingironic...etc
Charityprinciple(Grice):yousupposethatmybeliefsarelargely
true(optimizationofthetruth);there'snoguaranteethatthere
isauniquetheoryofinterpretationforanyspeaker(cf.Quine)
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Aninterpreter'sbeliefs:thosethatwouldbeascribedtoher/him
byan“omniscientinterpreter”
Beliefs(likemeanings)cannotbeascribedsingly(holism!).
Language and thought
T1:wecouldascribe thoughtstocreatureswhopossessed
somelanguage
T2:mute(i.e.devoidoflanguage)creaturesdonotthink
Propositionalcontent ofpropositionalattitudesinvolves
intensionalrepresentation:
Iamconvinced,thatLewisCarollisagenius
?Iamconvinced,thatCharlesDodgsonisagenius
Language and thought
Spot(adog)wagshistailwhenhehearsasoundoutside
thedoor
Canwesaythat:
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Spotthinksthathismasterisatthedoor?
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Spotthinksthathismasterwillbeatthedooragaintomorrow?
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Spotthinksthathisoldestfriendisatthedoor?
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SpotthinksthatJohnisatthedoor?
Andwhyshouldwepreferoneoftheabovedescriptions?
Language and thought
Thisisnotjustamatterofourbeingatalossashowto
describeSpot'sstateofmind.
Thereisnodefinitefact heretobedescribed
Spotregisterseventsinhissurroundingsandadjustshis
behavioraccordingly.Itisnotenoughtobeinabelieflikestate withadefinite'propositionalcontent'
Systemsofanimalcommunicationshouldbedistinguished
fromfullyfledgedlanguage
Language and thought
Inconsequence:
Onlyinterpreterscouldbeinterpreted
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Understandingofoneanotherismediatedby
applicationofacomplextheory.Whatdoesitmean?
ShallweacceptDennettiantheory(tofollow)whenwe
rejectDavidsonianapproach?
Intentional stance
DanielDennett(TuftsUniversity)
Owingtothewaytheyareorganized,manydifferentkindsof
'systems'canusefully bedescribed asharboringbeliefs
anddesiresand,onthebasisofthese,formingintentions
andsubsequentlyactingintentionally.
Anintentionalsystem –asystemdesignedtofunctionsoas
tosecureaparticularend(goal)
Asystemthebehaviorofwhichcanbeexplained,
predicted,evenmanipulatedbysupposingthat ithas
reasons forwhats/he(it?)does.
Intentional stance
HowcanweexplainbehavioraccordingtoDennett?
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Properfunctioningofasystem:
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Intentional stance
Adesignedsystembreaksdown:
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Design stance(e.g.structuralexplanation)
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Physical stance(physicalproperties)
Focusingonthepracticeofascribingstatesofmind inthe
explanationofbehaviorwerisklosingsightofquestions
aboutthenature ofmentalstatesandprocesses;abouta
natureofanagent
Whataboutothermentalphenomena(pains,emotions,
moods)?