Fodor's Theory of Content: Problems and Objections

Philosophy of Science 60 (2):262-277 (1993)
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Abstract

Jerry Fodor has recently proposed a new entry into the list of information based approaches to semantic content aimed at explicating the general notion of representation for both mental states and linguistic tokens. The basic idea is that a token means what causes its production. The burden of the theory is to select the proper cause from the sea of causal influences which aid in generating any token while at the same time avoiding the absurdity of everything's being literally meaningful. I argue that a detailed examination of the theory reveals that neither burden can be successfully shouldered.

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original Seager, William E. (1993) "Fodor's theory of content: Problems and objections". Phiosophy of Science 60(2):262-77

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William Seager
University of Toronto at Scarborough

References found in this work

Knowledge and the Flow of Information.Fred I. Dretske - 1981 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 175 (1):69-70.
Remnants of Meaning.Stephen Schiffer - 1987 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 50 (2):409-423.
What is a Law of Nature?[author unknown] - 1985 - Philosophical Books 26 (2):120-120.
A Theory of Content and Other Essays. [REVIEW]Ruth Garrett Millikan - 1992 - Philosophical Review 101 (4):898-901.

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