more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
Anything that is a thinker at all has a thought with a certain content in virtue of being in a state which occupies a certain functional role.
Gist of Idea
A particular functional role is what gives content to a thought
Source
David Lewis (On the Plurality of Worlds [1986], 2.3)
Book Ref
Lewis,David: 'On the Plurality of Worlds' [Blackwell 2001], p.106
A Reaction
So often Lewis seems to get things the wrong way round. Maybe if you invert his entire (fabulously consistent) philosophy, you get the right answer? I take the content to be what makes the role possible.
| 18818 | Sentence meaning is given by the actions to which it would lead [Ramsey] |
| 12588 | Meaning from use of thoughts, constructed from concepts, which have a role relating to reality [Harman] |
| 12589 | Some regard conceptual role semantics as an entirely internal matter [Harman] |
| 12600 | The content of thought is relations, between mental states, things in the world, and contexts [Harman] |
| 16278 | A particular functional role is what gives content to a thought [Lewis] |
| 18033 | The meaning of a representation is its role in thought, perception or decisions [Block] |
| 12634 | 'Inferential-role semantics' says meaning is determined by role in inference [Fodor] |
| 3003 | Very different mental states can share their contents, so content doesn't seem to be constructed from functional role [Fodor] |
| 9640 | A term can have not only a sense and a reference, but also a 'computational role' [Brown,JR] |
| 9378 | If meaning depends on conceptual role, what properties are needed to do the job? [Boghossian] |
| 9377 | 'Conceptual role semantics' says terms have meaning from sentences and/or inferences [Boghossian] |
| 21641 | Inferential role semantics is an alternative to semantics that connects to the world [Hofweber] |