Single Idea 22242

[catalogued under 18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 5. Mental Files]

Full Idea

Mental files are entries in the mental encyclopedia, that is, concepts. Some, following Grice, say they are information collections, but I think of them as containers. Collections are determined by their elements, but containers have independent identity.

Gist of Idea

Mental files are concepts, which are either collections or (better) containers

Source

François Recanati (Mental Files in Flux [2016], Pref)

Book Reference

Recanati,François: 'Mental Files in Flux' [OUP 2016], p.-12


A Reaction

[compressed] [Grice reference is 'Vacuous Names' (1969)] I agree with Recanati. The point is that you can invoke a file by a label, even when you don't know what the content is.