Single Idea 23801

[catalogued under 18. Thought / C. Content / 11. Teleological Semantics]

Full Idea

Millikan's 'biosemantic' view is that representations stand midway between producer and consumer systems. The represented states of affairs (the content) maps onto the second system, and thus enable its proper function.

Gist of Idea

Biosemantics says content is useful mapping from a producer to a consumer system

Source

report of Ruth Garrett Millikan (Varieties of Meaning [2002]) by Peter Schulte - Mental Content 4.4

Book Reference

Schulte,Peter: 'Mental Content' [CUP 2023], p.38


A Reaction

These meets my standard objection to all functional theories (e.g. of mind), that observing relations and functions tells you nothing about what it actually is. Millikan seems to explain the role of content, but says nothing about its actual nature.