Representational Ideas: From Plato to Patricia ChurchlandIn Representational Ideas: From Plato to Patricia Churchland Watson argues that all intelligible theories of representation by ideas are based on likeness between representations and objects. He concludes that 17th century materialist criticisms of `having' mental representations in the mind apply to contemporary material representations in the brain, as proposed by neurophilosophers. The argument begins with Plato, with particular stress on Descartes, Malebranche, and Arnauld. He then proceeds with an examination of the picture theory developed by Wittgenstein, Carnap, and Goodman, and concludes with an examination of Patricia Churchland, Ruth Millikan, Robert Cummins, and Mark Rollins. The use of the historical development of representationalism to pose a central problem in contemporary cognitive science is unique. For students, scholars and researchers in neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and modern philosophy. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 11 |
2 REPRESENTATIONAL IDEAS | 3 |
3 PLATONIC IDEAS | 5 |
4 ARISTOTELEAN FORMS | 7 |
5 LIKE KNOWS LIKE | 10 |
6 IDEAS AS EFFECTS AND THINGS AS CAUSES | 10 |
7 RESEMBLANCE | 14 |
8 ONTOLOGICAL MODELS | 17 |
5 IDEAS AS TRANSPARENT AS SEARCHLIGHTS AND AS GRAPPLES | 64 |
LOCKE BERKELEY AND HUME | 66 |
2 NONREPRESENTATIONAL IDEAS | 68 |
3 PARTICULAR IDEAS | 73 |
THE PICTURE THEORY | 77 |
2 CARNAP | 82 |
3 GOODMAN | 87 |
NEUROPHILOSOPHY | 100 |
DESCARTES | 19 |
2 IMAGINATION AND UNDERSTANDING | 22 |
3 SENSATIONS AND IMAGES | 27 |
4 NONRESEMBLING IDEAS | 30 |
5 THE PRIORITY OF ONTOLOGY | 36 |
6 WHAT IS AN IDEA? | 37 |
7 WHAT IN AN IDEA MAKES IT BE OF ITS OBJECT? | 43 |
8 SUMMARY CONCLUSION | 47 |
MALEBRANCHE AND ARNAULD | 49 |
2 ACT CONTENT AND OBJECT | 52 |
3 IDEAS AS INDEPENDENT OBJECTS | 54 |
4 IDEAS AS ACTS OF MIND | 61 |
1 PATRICIA CHURCHLAND | 101 |
2 RUTH MILLIKAN | 109 |
3 ROBERT CUMMINS | 111 |
4 MARK ROLLINS | 114 |
HAVING IDEAS | 122 |
CONCLUSION | 142 |
NOTES | 143 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 157 |
| 167 | |
| 171 | |
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Common terms and phrases
act-idea actual algebraic Antoine Arnauld archetypes argue Aristotelean Arnauld Berkeley Boston Studies Carnap Cartesian causal cause an idea chiliagon Churchland concept Consciousness Explained Dennett Descartes says Descartes's entities epistemological example exhibit exist explain fact figure finite substance Form geometric George Berkeley Goodman Ibid idea represents imagine innate intelligible extension ISBN isomorphism knowledge Leibniz logical Malebranche Malebranchean ideas material bodies material image material objects material things materialist matter means Meditation mental idea mental images Metaphysics mind modes neurons Neurophilosophy Nicolas Malebranche notion ontological particular ideas Patricia Churchland pattern Paul Churchland perceived perception phase space Philosophy of Science physical picture theory Platonic Ideas problem properties pure qualia question repre represent their objects representational ideas represents its object resemble their objects Rollins Ruth Millikan sensations sense organs sensory images set of relations soul structural thinking Thomas Reid thought tion triangle understand University Press visual Wittgenstein