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Full Idea
Thinking about something doesn't require activating some version of it.
Gist of Idea
Thinking about a thing doesn't require activating it
Source
David Papineau (Thinking about Consciousness [2002], Intro §5)
Book Ref
Papineau,David: 'Thinking about Consciousness' [OUP 2004], p.7
A Reaction
E.g. I can discuss 'red' without visualising it. This observation strikes me as simple and basic to what thinking is. Papineau thinks that confusion about this simple point leads to major errors in the philosophy of mind.