Single Idea 2452

[catalogued under 18. Thought / C. Content / 10. Causal Semantics]

Full Idea

If you know the content of a thought, you know quite a lot about what would cause you to have it.

Gist of Idea

Knowing the cause of a thought is almost knowing its content

Source

Jerry A. Fodor (The Elm and the Expert [1993], §4)

Book Reference

Fodor,Jerry A.: 'The Elm and the Expert' [MIT 1995], p.92


A Reaction

I'm not sure where this fits into the great jigsaw of the mind, but it strikes me as an acute and important observation. The truth of a thought is not essential to make you have it. Ask Othello.