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Single Idea 3124

[filed under theme 18. Thought / C. Content / 5. Twin Earth ]

Full Idea

The question of what a pre-scientific term extends over is extremely difficult for a Putnam-style externalist to answer. …There seems no good reason to assume that they extend over natural kinds ('whale', 'cat', 'water').

Gist of Idea

Externalists can't assume old words refer to modern natural kinds

Source

Gabriel M.A. Segal (A Slim Book about Narrow Content [2000], 5.1)

Book Ref

Segal,Gabriel M.A.: 'A Slim Book about Narrow Content' [MIT 2000], p.131

A Reaction

The assumption seems to be that they used to extend over descriptions, and now they extend over essences, or expert references. This can't be right. They have never changed, but now contain fewer errors.

The 18 ideas from 'A Slim Book about Narrow Content'

3104 Must we relate to some diamonds to understand them? [Segal]
3103 Maybe content involves relations to a language community [Segal]
3105 Is 'Hesperus = Phosphorus' metaphysically necessary, but not logically or epistemologically necessary? [Segal]
3106 If claims of metaphysical necessity are based on conceivability, we should be cautious [Segal]
3108 If 'water' has narrow content, it refers to both H2O and XYZ [Segal]
3110 Humans are made of H2O, so 'twins' aren't actually feasible [Segal]
3109 If content is external, so are beliefs and desires [Segal]
3111 Externalism can't explain concepts that have no reference [Segal]
3113 The success and virtue of an explanation do not guarantee its truth [Segal]
3112 Folk psychology is ridiculously dualist in its assumptions [Segal]
3116 Maybe experts fix content, not ordinary users [Segal]
3117 Concepts can survive a big change in extension [Segal]
3118 If thoughts ARE causal, we can't explain how they cause things [Segal]
3119 Even 'mass' cannot be defined in causal terms [Segal]
3121 If content is narrow, my perfect twin shares my concepts [Segal]
3123 Science is in the business of carving nature at the joints [Segal]
3124 Externalists can't assume old words refer to modern natural kinds [Segal]
3125 Psychology studies the way rationality links desires and beliefs to causality [Segal]