Single Idea 4874

[catalogued under 18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 4. Language of Thought]

Full Idea

The ancestor and chief rival of the language-of-thought hypothesis is the picture theory of ideas - that thoughts are about what they are about because they resemble their objects.

Gist of Idea

The predecessor and rival of the language of thought hypothesis is the picture theory of ideas

Source

Daniel C. Dennett (Kinds of Minds [1996], Ch.2)

Book Reference

Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Kinds of Minds' [Phoenix 1997], p.68


A Reaction

When you place them side by side, neither seems quite right. How can a mental state resemble an object, and how can an inner language inherently capture the features of an object? Maybe we lack the words for the correct theory.