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Single Idea 3992
[filed under theme 18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 4. Folk Psychology
]
Full Idea
Folk psychology is a powerful instrument of prediction, …which associates with each mental state a typical causal role.
Clarification
'Folk psychology' is the way we describe thoughts and motives in ordinary language
Gist of Idea
Folk psychology makes good predictions, by associating mental states with causal roles
Source
David Lewis (Lewis: reduction of mind (on himself) [1994], p.416)
Book Ref
'A Companion to the Philosophy of Mind', ed/tr. Guttenplan,Samuel [Blackwell 1995], p.416
A Reaction
This seems a good account of why we should take folk psychology very seriously, even if it is sometimes wrong (e.g. about people who are mentally ill).
The
19 ideas
with the same theme
[is the truth about minds found in normal speech?]:
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2074
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Can we give a scientific, computational account of folk psychology?
[Putnam]
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3462
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We don't postulate folk psychology, we experience it
[Searle]
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6996
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Folk psychology covers input, internal role, and output
[Jackson]
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3387
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A culture without our folk psychology would be quite baffling
[Kim]
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3386
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Folk psychology has been remarkably durable
[Kim]
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3394
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Maybe folk psychology is a simulation, not a theory
[Kim]
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3410
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Folk psychology has adapted to Freudianism
[Kim]
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3992
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Folk psychology makes good predictions, by associating mental states with causal roles
[Lewis]
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7518
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If folk psychology gives a network of causal laws, that fits neatly with functionalism
[Churchland,PM]
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7519
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Many mental phenomena are totally unexplained by folk psychology
[Churchland,PM]
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7520
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Folk psychology never makes any progress, and is marginalised by modern science
[Churchland,PM]
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3987
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Like the 'centre of gravity', desires and beliefs are abstract concepts with no actual existence
[Dennett]
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3177
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You couldn't drive a car without folk psychology
[Dennett]
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3975
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Folk psychology explains behaviour by reference to intentional states like belief and desire
[Fodor]
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2988
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Folk psychology is the only explanation of behaviour we have
[Fodor]
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2987
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Folk psychology works badly for alien cultures
[Lyons]
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4607
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Folk psychology and neuroscience are no more competitors than cartography and geology are
[Heil]
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3112
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Folk psychology is ridiculously dualist in its assumptions
[Segal]
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15680
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Folk essentialism rests on belief in natural kinds, in hidden properties, and on words indicating structures
[Gelman]
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