In Robert W. Lurz (ed.), The Philosophy of Animal Minds. Cambridge University Press. pp. 108--127 (2009)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
Does thought precede language, or the other way around? How does having a language affect our thoughts? Who has a language, and who can think? These questions have traditionally been addressed by philosophers, especially by rationalists concerned to identify the essential difference between humans and other animals. More recently, theorists in cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and developmental psychology have been asking these questions in more empirically grounded ways. At its best, this confluence of philosophy and science promises to blend the respective strengths of each discipline, bringing abstract theory to bear on reality in a principled and focused way. At its worst, it risks degenerating into a war of words, with each side employing key expressions in its own idiosyncratic way – or worse, contaminating empirical research with a priori dogmas inherited from outmoded philosophical worldviews. In Baboon Metaphysics (2007), Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth offer an analysis of baboon cognition that promises to exemplify the very best interaction of philosophical theory and empirical research. They argue that baboons have a language of thought: a language-like representational medium, which supports the sophisticated cognitive abilities required to negotiate their complex social environment. This claim is intended to be surprising in its own right, and also to shed light on the evolution of spoken language. Because our own ancestors likely lived in a similarly complex social environment, Cheney and Seyfarth propose that the earliest humans also developed language first as a cognitive medium, and that spoken language evolved as a means to express those thoughts. There are two potential difficulties here. First, ‘Language of Thought’ (LOT) is a term of art, with much associated theoretical baggage and often comparatively little careful exposition. Thus, evaluating the claim requires getting clearer about just what LOT implies in this context..
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Buy the book |
Find it on Amazon.com
|
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
Meaning in the Lives of Humans and Other Animals.Duncan Purves & Nicolas Delon - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (2):317-338.
The Emotional Mind: The Affective Roots of Culture and Cognition.Stephen Asma & Rami Gabriel - 2019 - Harvard University Press.
View all 31 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
La Publicité Et L’Interdépendance du Langage Et de la Pensée.Daniel Laurier - 2004 - Dialogue 43 (2):281-315.
Radical Connectionism: Thinking with (Not in) Language.Gerard O'Brien & Jonathan Opie - 2002 - Language and Communication 22 (3):313-329.
Language, Thought and Consciousness: An Essay in Philosophical Psychology.Peter Carruthers - 1996 - Cambridge University Press.
Concepts, Connectionism, and the Language of Thought.Martin Davies - 1991 - In W Ramsey, Stephen P. Stich & D. Rumelhart (eds.), Philosophy and Connectionist Theory. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 485-503.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-01-28
Total views
148 ( #78,039 of 2,499,677 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
5 ( #139,330 of 2,499,677 )
2009-01-28
Total views
148 ( #78,039 of 2,499,677 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
5 ( #139,330 of 2,499,677 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads