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Single Idea 3987
[filed under theme 18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 4. Folk Psychology
]
Full Idea
Like such abstracta as centres of gravity and parallelograms of force, the beliefs and desires posited by the highest intentional stance have no independent and concrete existence.
Clarification
'Abstracta' are purely theoretical ideas. The 'intentional stance' assumes fictions about the mind in order to interpret it
Gist of Idea
Like the 'centre of gravity', desires and beliefs are abstract concepts with no actual existence
Source
Daniel C. Dennett (Daniel Dennett on himself [1994], p.239)
Book Ref
'A Companion to the Philosophy of Mind', ed/tr. Guttenplan,Samuel [Blackwell 1995], p.239
A Reaction
I don't see why we shouldn't one day have a physical account of the distinctive brain events involved in a belief or a desire
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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3386
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Folk psychology has been remarkably durable
[Kim]
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3387
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A culture without our folk psychology would be quite baffling
[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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7520
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Folk psychology never makes any progress, and is marginalised by modern science
[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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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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