monadic view slides-toronto
TRANSCRIPT
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Mental representation is not a relation(to items that serve as contents)
Angela MendeloviciWestern [email protected]
University of Toronto, April 5, 2013
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Mental representation
Mental representation The ofness or aboutness of mental states(AKA intentionality)
Mental representation is a phenomenon to be explained
Content Roughly, what representational states are about;more precisely: what individuates representationalproperties
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The relation view
Relation view Mental representation is a relation to entities thatserve as contents
Contents are distinctly existing items we are related toContents are what we think in, grasp, are aware of, areacquainted with, etc.Open question what the items are, open question what therepresentation relation is
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The monadic view
Monadic view Mental representation is not a relation to entitiesthat serve as contents
Mental representation is a matter of instantiatingrepresentational properties (that are not relations tocontents), “ofness properties”Contents are not distinctly existing thingsMental representational states are like happiness and sadnessKriegel (2007, 2011), Pitt (2009)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Analogy with color
Representational properties are analogous to color propertiesContents are analogous to hue, saturation, and brightness
Contents (HSB) individuate representational properties (colors)Contents (HSB) are not distinct constituents ofrepresentational properties (colors); they are second-orderproperties of representational properties (colors)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Analogy with color
Representational properties are analogous to color propertiesContents are analogous to hue, saturation, and brightness
Contents (HSB) individuate representational properties (colors)Contents (HSB) are not distinct constituents ofrepresentational properties (colors); they are second-orderproperties of representational properties (colors)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Analogy with color
Representational properties are analogous to color propertiesContents are analogous to hue, saturation, and brightness
Contents (HSB) individuate representational properties (colors)Contents (HSB) are not distinct constituents ofrepresentational properties (colors); they are second-orderproperties of representational properties (colors)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Mental representation looks like a relation
“Mark thinks about a cat.”⇓
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Mental representation looks like a relation
“Mark thinks about a cat.”⇓
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Mental representation looks like a relation
“Mark thinks that the cat is on the mat.”⇓
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Mental representation looks like a relation
“Mark thinks that the cat is on the mat.”⇓
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
My aim
The relation view may be intuitively appealingI will argue for the monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Outline
The relation view:Three puzzles for the relation viewViable versions of the relation views
Two reasons to prefer the monadic view:1 We don’t really need the added complexity of the relation view2 It allows for representation without existence
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Outline
The relation view:Three puzzles for the relation viewViable versions of the relation views
Two reasons to prefer the monadic view:1 We don’t really need the added complexity of the relation view2 It allows for representation without existence
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three puzzles for the relation view
There are three well-known puzzling features of mentalrepresentation that pose problems for the relation viewSee Chisholm (1957), Kriegel (2007), Crane (2001), andespecially Thau (2002)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three puzzles for the relation view
1 We can represent things that don’t existBut we can’t be related to things that don’t exist
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not anotherBut we can’t be both related to something and not related tothat same thing by the same relation
3 We can represent non-specific thingsBut we can’t be related to non-specific things
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three puzzles for the relation view
1 We can represent things that don’t existBut we can’t be related to things that don’t exist
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not anotherBut we can’t be both related to something and not related tothat same thing by the same relation
3 We can represent non-specific thingsBut we can’t be related to non-specific things
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three puzzles for the relation view
1 We can represent things that don’t existBut we can’t be related to things that don’t exist
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not anotherBut we can’t be both related to something and not related tothat same thing by the same relation
3 We can represent non-specific thingsBut we can’t be related to non-specific things
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Two possible reactions
1 Reject the relation view2 Mental representation is not a relation to ordinary objects, but
to special extraordinary objects
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Outline
The relation view:Three puzzles for the relation viewViable versions of the relation views
Two reasons to prefer the monadic view:1 We don’t really need the added complexity of the relation view2 It allows for representation without existence
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Extraordinary objects relation views
Contents are extraordinary objects such asSense dataMeinongian objectsConcrete possible worldsAbstract entities (properties, propositions)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Extraordinary objects relation views
Contents are extraordinary objects such asSense dataMeinongian objectsConcrete possible worldsAbstract entities (properties, propositions)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Abstract entities relation views
Abstract entities play the roles of contents
A sample of proponents of some form of the view: Fodor(1987), Harman (1990), Tye (2000), Thau (2002), Pautz(2007), Bourget (2010)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Platonic abstract entities
These abstracta are Platonic, existing independently of theconcrete wold
Just as we can represent things that don’t exist, we can alsorepresent uninstantiated properties and states of affairsinvolving uninstantiated properties, so the abstracta should beindependent of the concrete world (Kriegel (2007),Schellenberg (2011))Maybe these abstracta are made up of things in the concreteworldIt should be possible to represent abstracta not made up ofsuch things (e.g. on some views moral properties, colorproperties) (Mendelovici (forthcoming)) 16 / 52
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Platonic abstract entities
These abstracta are Platonic, existing independently of theconcrete wold
Just as we can represent things that don’t exist, we can alsorepresent uninstantiated properties and states of affairsinvolving uninstantiated properties, so the abstracta should beindependent of the concrete world (Kriegel (2007),Schellenberg (2011))Maybe these abstracta are made up of things in the concreteworldIt should be possible to represent abstracta not made up ofsuch things (e.g. on some views moral properties, colorproperties) (Mendelovici (forthcoming)) 16 / 52
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Platonic abstract entities
These abstracta are Platonic, existing independently of theconcrete wold
Just as we can represent things that don’t exist, we can alsorepresent uninstantiated properties and states of affairsinvolving uninstantiated properties, so the abstracta should beindependent of the concrete world (Kriegel (2007),Schellenberg (2011))Maybe these abstracta are made up of things in the concreteworldIt should be possible to represent abstracta not made up ofsuch things (e.g. on some views moral properties, colorproperties) (Mendelovici (forthcoming)) 16 / 52
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three features of mental representation
Allows for the three features of mental representation
1 We can represent things that don’t exist (without beingrelated to things that don’t exist)
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not another(without being related and not related to the same thing bythe same relation)
3 We can represent non-specific things (without being related tosomething non-specific)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three features of mental representation
Allows for the three features of mental representation
1 We can represent things that don’t exist (without beingrelated to things that don’t exist)
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not another(without being related and not related to the same thing bythe same relation)
3 We can represent non-specific things (without being related tosomething non-specific)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three features of mental representation
Allows for the three features of mental representation
1 We can represent things that don’t exist (without beingrelated to things that don’t exist)
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not another(without being related and not related to the same thing bythe same relation)
3 We can represent non-specific things (without being related tosomething non-specific)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Three features of mental representation
Allows for the three features of mental representation
1 We can represent things that don’t exist (without beingrelated to things that don’t exist)
2 We can represent things under one aspect and not another(without being related and not related to the same thing bythe same relation)
3 We can represent non-specific things (without being related tosomething non-specific)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Outline
The relation view:Three puzzles for the relation viewViable versions of the relation views
Two reasons to prefer the monadic view:1 We don’t really need the added complexity of the relation view2 It allows for representation without existence
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The monadic view vs. the abstract entities relation view
The monadic view is more ontologically parsimoniousDo we really need reified contents?
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
According with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
According with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
Suggestion The relation view better accords with common sense
The language we use to describe representational states isrelational
“Mark sees the cat.”
“Mark thinks the cat is on the mat.”
This suggests that the common sense view is relational
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
Response No view on the table can accord with common sense
Arguably, the common sense view has it that we’re related toordinary objects (e.g. cats, mats, cats on mats), not abstractobjects
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
Response No view on the table can accord with common sense
Arguably, the common sense view has it that we’re related toordinary objects (e.g. cats, mats, cats on mats), not abstractobjects
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
It seems we are in direct contact with the world of ordinaryobjects
When perceptually experiencing a cat, it seems you are indirect perceptual contact with the catWhen thinking about your cat Whiskers, it seems you arethinking directly about her
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Appeals to common sense
Harman (1990): “. . . [Ponce de Leon] was not looking for anidea of the Fountain of Youth. He already had the idea. Whathe wanted was a real Fountain of Youth, not just the idea ofsuch a thing.” (p. 36)
Harman suggests representation relates us to intentionalobjects, which are analyzed away somehow, perhaps in termsof non-existent objects or abstracta
Kriegel (2007): “[T]he entities we are aware of when we thinkof dragons and parrots present themselves to us, from thefirst-person perspective, as external concreta, not as abstractaor mental concreta.” (p. 311)
Kriegel suggests a monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Appeals to common sense
Harman (1990): “. . . [Ponce de Leon] was not looking for anidea of the Fountain of Youth. He already had the idea. Whathe wanted was a real Fountain of Youth, not just the idea ofsuch a thing.” (p. 36)
Harman suggests representation relates us to intentionalobjects, which are analyzed away somehow, perhaps in termsof non-existent objects or abstracta
Kriegel (2007): “[T]he entities we are aware of when we thinkof dragons and parrots present themselves to us, from thefirst-person perspective, as external concreta, not as abstractaor mental concreta.” (p. 311)
Kriegel suggests a monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
If the common sense view is the ordinary objects view, thenno view on the table accords with common sense
E.g. Ponce de Leon wasn’t searching for an abstract ornon-existent Fountain of YouthE.g. We don’t seem to be aware of second-order properties ofrepresentational states when we think about dragons
The common sense view can’t work because there are noconcrete existing Fountains of Youth or dragons for us to berelated to
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
If the common sense view is the ordinary objects view, thenno view on the table accords with common sense
E.g. Ponce de Leon wasn’t searching for an abstract ornon-existent Fountain of YouthE.g. We don’t seem to be aware of second-order properties ofrepresentational states when we think about dragons
The common sense view can’t work because there are noconcrete existing Fountains of Youth or dragons for us to berelated to
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
If the common sense view is the ordinary objects view, thenno view on the table accords with common sense
E.g. Ponce de Leon wasn’t searching for an abstract ornon-existent Fountain of YouthE.g. We don’t seem to be aware of second-order properties ofrepresentational states when we think about dragons
The common sense view can’t work because there are noconcrete existing Fountains of Youth or dragons for us to berelated to
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
If the common sense view is the ordinary objects view, thenno view on the table accords with common sense
E.g. Ponce de Leon wasn’t searching for an abstract ornon-existent Fountain of YouthE.g. We don’t seem to be aware of second-order properties ofrepresentational states when we think about dragons
The common sense view can’t work because there are noconcrete existing Fountains of Youth or dragons for us to berelated to
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
According with common sense
No view accords with common sense, so it’s not an objectionto the monadic view that it does not accord with commonsense
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
According with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Connecting us to the world
Suggestion The relation view better connects us to the world,allowing for an easy account of truth and reference
Abstract entities come with a built-in connection to the worldProperties can be instantiatedPropositions can obtain
We can say that when represented properties are instantiated,the representing mental states refer to their instancesOr when represented propositions obtain, representing mentalstates are true
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Connecting us to the world
Suggestion The relation view better connects us to the world,allowing for an easy account of truth and reference
Abstract entities come with a built-in connection to the worldProperties can be instantiatedPropositions can obtain
We can say that when represented properties are instantiated,the representing mental states refer to their instancesOr when represented propositions obtain, representing mentalstates are true
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Truth and reference on the monadic view
The monadic view relates mental states directly to the worldWe can call the relation satisfactionSatisfaction is an extra ingredient, and it looks a bitmysterious; it relates distinct entities of different kindsNo built-in connection to the world
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Response
Response 1 The instantiation and obtaining relations are just asmysterious as satisfaction
Response 2 Tame the satisfaction relation
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Response 1: Instantiation/obtaining is mysterious
Instantiation and obtaining are still mysterious - it’s unclearhow abstracta can participate in the concrete worldLike satisfaction, instantiation/obtaining relates entirelydifferent kinds of entities - abstract entities and ordinaryobjects
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Response 2: Taming satisfaction
The satisfaction relation maps representational properties(e.g. “of-redness”) to objects or properties (e.g. redness) orobjects having properties (e.g. red objects) when the relevantitems exist
Satisfaction might be reduced to causation, isomorphism,similarity, or might be primitivePerhaps basic representational properties get their satisfactionconditions directly, while complex representational propertiesget theirs from the satisfaction conditions of their constituentsand the way they are combined
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Response 2: Taming satisfaction
The satisfaction relation maps representational properties(e.g. “of-redness”) to objects or properties (e.g. redness) orobjects having properties (e.g. red objects) when the relevantitems exist
Satisfaction might be reduced to causation, isomorphism,similarity, or might be primitivePerhaps basic representational properties get their satisfactionconditions directly, while complex representational propertiesget theirs from the satisfaction conditions of their constituentsand the way they are combined
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Response 2: Taming satisfaction
Representational properites are directed in certain ways suchthat if certain items exist, they manage to refer to them or bemade true of themRepresentational properties need not contain or involve theseitems
If you think that mental representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is represented, then you should agree thatdirectedness without there being something that you aredirected at is possible
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Response 2: Taming satisfaction
Representational properites are directed in certain ways suchthat if certain items exist, they manage to refer to them or bemade true of themRepresentational properties need not contain or involve theseitems
If you think that mental representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is represented, then you should agree thatdirectedness without there being something that you aredirected at is possible
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
There is one kind of abstract entity that clearly does have abuilt-in connection to the world - intensions, functions frompossible worlds to extensions, which might be facts or truthvalues, or ordinary objects or sets of ordinary objectsThe view that contents are intensions connects us to theworld by taking contents to just be connections to the world
E.g. The content of the concept cat might be the functionfrom possible worlds to all the cats in those worlds
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
There is one kind of abstract entity that clearly does have abuilt-in connection to the world - intensions, functions frompossible worlds to extensions, which might be facts or truthvalues, or ordinary objects or sets of ordinary objectsThe view that contents are intensions connects us to theworld by taking contents to just be connections to the world
E.g. The content of the concept cat might be the functionfrom possible worlds to all the cats in those worlds
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
The monadic view can tell an equivalent storyIn effect, the relation view has two functions: A function frommental states to intensions, which are functions from possibleworlds to extensionsThe monadic view can repackage these two functions into onefunction directly taking us from mental states and possibleworlds to extensions
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
The monadic view can tell an equivalent storyIn effect, the relation view has two functions: A function frommental states to intensions, which are functions from possibleworlds to extensionsThe monadic view can repackage these two functions into onefunction directly taking us from mental states and possibleworlds to extensions
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
The monadic view can tell an equivalent storyIn effect, the relation view has two functions: A function frommental states to intensions, which are functions from possibleworlds to extensionsThe monadic view can repackage these two functions into onefunction directly taking us from mental states and possibleworlds to extensions
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
The monadic view can tell an equivalent storyIn effect, the relation view has two functions: A function frommental states to intensions, which are functions from possibleworlds to extensionsThe monadic view can repackage these two functions into onefunction directly taking us from mental states and possibleworlds to extensions
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
For example, suppose the intension view takes representationalstates to be related to intensions IVO their functional rolesSuppose the concept cat plays functional role F, and getsrelated to the function from possible worlds to cats
The monadic view can then just say that satisfaction is afunction from functional roles and worlds to extensionsThis function takes states playing F and the actual world tothe set of all cats in our world
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Contents as intensions
For example, suppose the intension view takes representationalstates to be related to intensions IVO their functional rolesSuppose the concept cat plays functional role F, and getsrelated to the function from possible worlds to cats
The monadic view can then just say that satisfaction is afunction from functional roles and worlds to extensionsThis function takes states playing F and the actual world tothe set of all cats in our world
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Connecting to the world
It’s mysterious how mental states get connected to the worldof ordinary objectsBut the monadic view is no worse off than the abstractentities relation view, and possibly better off than someversions of the view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
According with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Suggestion Separating contents from the representation ofcontents confers some benefits:
It allows for shared contentsIt allows for unrepresented contentsIt allows us to use possible worlds to model contents (even ifwe don’t choose to identify contents with sets of possibleworlds)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Suggestion Separating contents from the representation ofcontents confers some benefits:
It allows for shared contentsIt allows for unrepresented contentsIt allows us to use possible worlds to model contents (even ifwe don’t choose to identify contents with sets of possibleworlds)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Suggestion Separating contents from the representation ofcontents confers some benefits:
It allows for shared contentsIt allows for unrepresented contentsIt allows us to use possible worlds to model contents (even ifwe don’t choose to identify contents with sets of possibleworlds)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Suggestion Separating contents from the representation ofcontents confers some benefits:
It allows for shared contentsIt allows for unrepresented contentsIt allows us to use possible worlds to model contents (even ifwe don’t choose to identify contents with sets of possibleworlds)
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Response The monadic view can share in these benefits
Sharing content involves representing in the same waysame monadic properties (see also Pitt (2009))same second-order properties
Unthought contents are uninstantiated ways of representing;we should say the same thing about them that we say aboutother uninstantiated properties (see also Pitt (2009))We can still use possible worlds to model contents
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Response The monadic view can share in these benefits
Sharing content involves representing in the same waysame monadic properties (see also Pitt (2009))same second-order properties
Unthought contents are uninstantiated ways of representing;we should say the same thing about them that we say aboutother uninstantiated properties (see also Pitt (2009))We can still use possible worlds to model contents
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Response The monadic view can share in these benefits
Sharing content involves representing in the same waysame monadic properties (see also Pitt (2009))same second-order properties
Unthought contents are uninstantiated ways of representing;we should say the same thing about them that we say aboutother uninstantiated properties (see also Pitt (2009))We can still use possible worlds to model contents
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Independently existing contents
Response The monadic view can share in these benefits
Sharing content involves representing in the same waysame monadic properties (see also Pitt (2009))same second-order properties
Unthought contents are uninstantiated ways of representing;we should say the same thing about them that we say aboutother uninstantiated properties (see also Pitt (2009))We can still use possible worlds to model contents
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
According with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representational structure
Suggestion The relation view has an easier time accounting forrepresentational structure
Some representational states are structured - e.g. thinkingthat the cat is on the mat, perceiving a red square and a bluetriangleThe monadic view is closely related to adverbialism, andadverbialism has a problem with capturing representationalstructure, so maybe the monadic view does too
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representational structure
When we want representational structure, we might want oneof two things:
1 Structured vehicles2 Structured contents
Response The monadic view can deliver
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Structured vehicles
Language of thought (Fodor, 1975):Basic representations combine syntactically to form complexrepresentations
LOT is usually combined with the relation viewBut it can also be combined with a monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Structured vehicles
Language of thought (Fodor, 1975):Basic representations combine syntactically to form complexrepresentations
LOT is usually combined with the relation viewBut it can also be combined with a monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Structured vehicles
Language of thought (Fodor, 1975):Basic representations combine syntactically to form complexrepresentations
LOT is usually combined with the relation viewBut it can also be combined with a monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Structured vehicles
Language of thought (Fodor, 1975):Basic representations combine syntactically to form complexrepresentations
LOT is usually combined with the relation viewBut it can also be combined with a monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Structured contents
It’s unclear that any view can give us a good understanding ofhow contents can combine to form more than the sum of theirpartsThis is related to the problem of the unity of the proposition(Gaskin, 2008)Structured propositions are composed of e.g. objects andproperties, but how do they get glued together?
King (2007) appeals to mental act of “ascription”; Soames(2010) appeals to mental act of “predication”
Maybe the monadic view can also appeal to primitive mentalacts
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representational structure
Suggestion by Kriegel (2007): Contents can compose byrepresentational states having multiple second-order properties(representing in various ways)Compare: Hue, saturation, and brightness combine to formcolor properties
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
It might be thought that the relation view has an advantage inAccording with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
But it doesn’tIf that’s right, then there is no reason to reify contentsWe should prefer the monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
The putative benefits of the relation view
It might be thought that the relation view has an advantage inAccording with common senseConnecting us to the worldOffering an appealing view of contentAccounting for representational structure
But it doesn’tIf that’s right, then there is no reason to reify contentsWe should prefer the monadic view
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Outline
The relation view:Three puzzles for the relation viewViable versions of the relation views
Two reasons to prefer the monadic view:1 We don’t really need the added complexity of the relation view2 It allows for representation without existence
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representation does not require existence
Arguably, one of the lessons of the failure of the ordinaryobjects relation view is that representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is representedE.g. You should be able to represent redness even if there isnothing red, and even if there is no redness
On the abstract entities relation view, representational statesinvolve or contain what is represented
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representation does not require existence
Arguably, one of the lessons of the failure of the ordinaryobjects relation view is that representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is representedE.g. You should be able to represent redness even if there isnothing red, and even if there is no redness
On the abstract entities relation view, representational statesinvolve or contain what is represented
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representation does not require existence
Arguably, one of the lessons of the failure of the ordinaryobjects relation view is that representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is representedE.g. You should be able to represent redness even if there isnothing red, and even if there is no redness
On the abstract entities relation view, representational statesinvolve or contain what is represented
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representation does not require existence
Arguably, one of the lessons of the failure of the ordinaryobjects relation view is that representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is representedE.g. You should be able to represent redness even if there isnothing red, and even if there is no redness
On the abstract entities relation view, representational statesinvolve or contain what is represented
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Representation does not require existence
Arguably, one of the lessons of the failure of the ordinaryobjects relation view is that representation doesn’t require theexistence of what is representedE.g. You should be able to represent redness even if there isnothing red, and even if there is no redness
On the abstract entities relation view, representational statesinvolve or contain what is represented
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Compare with the monadic view
On the monadic view, representation doesn’t require existenceRepresentational properties do not involve or contain theworldly states and properties they refer to (or would refer to)Rather, they point to their referents and truth-makers, whichdoesn’t require them to exist
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
Conclusion
Mental representation intuitively seems to be a relation,perhaps a relation to ordinary objectsBut there are familiar problems with taking it to be a relationto ordinary objectsTwo main options:
Mental representation is a relation to extraordinary objects,e.g. abstractaMental representation is not a relation at all
The monadic view is more ontologically parsimonious and, ifI’m right, can do everything the relation view can doThe monadic view fully divorces representation from theexistence of what is represented
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Introduction Three puzzles Viable relation views Putative benefits of the relation view Representation and existence
References
Bourget, D. (2010). The Representational Theory of Consciousness. PhD thesis, Australian National University.Chisholm, R. (1957). Intentional inexistence. Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings. Oxford,
OUP, pages 484–91.Crane, T. (2001). Intentional objects. Ratio, 14(4):298–317.Fodor, J. A. (1975). The Language of Thought. Harvard University Press.Fodor, J. A. (1987). Psychosemantics. MIT Press, Cambridge.Gaskin, R. (2008). The Unity of the Proposition, volume 64. Oxford University Press.Harman, G. (1990). The intrinsic quality of experience. Philosophical Perspectives, 4:31–52.King, J. C. (2007). The Nature and Structure of Content. Oxford University Press.Kriegel, U. (2007). Intentional inexistence and phenomenal intentionality. Philosophical Perspectives,
21(1):307–340.Kriegel, U. (2011). The Sources of Intentionality. Oxford University Press.Mendelovici, A. (forthcoming). Reliable misrepresentation and tracking theories of mental representation.
Philosophical Studies.Pautz, A. (2007). Intentionalism and perceptual presence. Philosophical Perspectives, 21(1):495–530.Pitt, D. (2009). Intentional psychologism. Philosophical Studies, 146(1):117–138.Schellenberg, S. (2011). Ontological minimalism about phenomenology. Philosophy and Phenomenological
Research, 83(1):1–40.Soames, S. (2010). What is meaning? Princeton University Press.Thau, M. (2002). Consciousness and Cognition. Oxford University Press.Tye, M. (2000). Consciousness, Color, and Content. MIT Press, Cambridge.
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