Ideas from 'In a Critical Condition' by Jerry A. Fodor [2000], by Theme Structure
[found in 'In Critical Condition' by Fodor,Jerry A. [MIT 2000,0-262-56128-x]].
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1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 4. Conceptual Analysis
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2474
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It seems likely that analysis of concepts is impossible, but justification can survive without it
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1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 7. Limitations of Analysis
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2481
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Despite all the efforts of philosophers, nothing can ever be reduced to anything
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 8. Naturalising Reason
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2505
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Turing invented the idea of mechanical rationality (just based on syntax)
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2. Reason / E. Argument / 2. Transcendental Argument
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2470
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Transcendental arguments move from knowing Q to knowing P because it depends on Q
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8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 7. Emergent Properties
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2469
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The world is full of messy small things producing stable large-scale properties (e.g. mountains)
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8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / b. Partaking
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2475
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Don't define something by a good instance of it; a good example is a special case of the ordinary example
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11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / e. Belief holism
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2502
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How do you count beliefs?
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11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 3. Idealism / c. Empirical idealism
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2501
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Berkeley seems to have mistakenly thought that chairs are the same as after-images
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12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 6. Inference in Perception
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2465
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Maybe explaining the mechanics of perception will explain the concepts involved
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12. Knowledge Sources / C. Rationalism / 1. Rationalism
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2504
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Rationalism can be based on an evolved computational brain with innate structure
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12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 2. Associationism
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2493
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According to empiricists abstraction is the fundamental mental process
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12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 5. Empiricism Critique
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2494
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Rationalists say there is more to a concept than the experience that prompts it
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15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 1. Mind / b. Purpose of mind
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2508
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The function of a mind is obvious
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2503
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Empirical approaches see mind connections as mirrors/maps of reality
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15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 4. Intentionality / a. Nature of intentionality
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2485
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Do intentional states explain our behaviour?
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16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 6. Self as Higher Awareness
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2506
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If I have a set of mental modules, someone had better be in charge of them!
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17. Mind and Body / C. Functionalism / 1. Functionalism
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2467
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Functionalists see pains as properties involving relations and causation
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17. Mind and Body / D. Property Dualism / 3. Property Dualism
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2489
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Why bother with neurons? You don't explain bird flight by examining feathers
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17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 1. Physical Mind
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2468
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Type physicalism is a stronger claim than token physicalism
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17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 4. Connectionism
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2490
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Modern connectionism is just Hume's theory of the 'association' of 'ideas'
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18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 1. Thought
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2476
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The goal of thought is to understand the world, not instantly sort it into conceptual categories
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18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 3. Modularity of Mind
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2500
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Babies talk in consistent patterns
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2507
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Rationality rises above modules
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2491
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Modules have encapsulation, inaccessibility, private concepts, innateness
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2497
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Something must take an overview of the modules
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2495
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Obvious modules are language and commonsense explanation
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2499
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Modules analyse stimuli, they don't tell you what to do
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2498
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Modules make the world manageable
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2496
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Blindness doesn't destroy spatial concepts
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2509
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Modules have in-built specialist information
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18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 4. Language of Thought
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2480
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Language is ambiguous, but thought isn't
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2483
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Mentalese doesn't require a theory of meaning
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2487
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Mentalese may also incorporate some natural language
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18. Thought / C. Content / 9. Conceptual Role Semantics
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2486
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Content can't be causal role, because causal role is decided by content
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 2. Origin of Concepts / c. Nativist concepts
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2492
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Experience can't explain itself; the concepts needed must originate outside experience
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 3. Ontology of Concepts / b. Concepts as abilities
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2471
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Are concepts best seen as capacities?
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2472
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For Pragmatists having a concept means being able to do something
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19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 3. Meaning as Speaker's Intention
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2482
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It seems unlikely that meaning can be reduced to communicative intentions, or any mental states
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19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 7. Meaning Holism / b. Language holism
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2477
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If to understand "fish" you must know facts about them, where does that end?
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19. Language / E. Analyticity / 3. Analytic and Synthetic
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2473
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Analysis is impossible without the analytic/synthetic distinction
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19. Language / F. Communication / 4. Private Language
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2484
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The theory of the content of thought as 'Mentalese' explains why the Private Language Argument doesn't work
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