Combining Texts

Ideas for 'works', 'Inessential Aristotle: Powers without Essences' and 'Philosophy of Mind'

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3 ideas

16. Persons / C. Self-Awareness / 1. Introspection
Externalism about content makes introspection depend on external evidence [Kim]
     Full Idea: Externalism about content would have the consequence that most of our knowledge of our own intentional states is indirect and must be based on external evidence.
     From: Jaegwon Kim (Philosophy of Mind [1996], p.207)
     A reaction: I think this is a confusion, endemic in discussions of externalism. If what Shakespeare meant by 'water' is H2O, or Putnam means by 'elm' what experts say, the point is that their meanings are NOT part of their intentional states, which are bookmarks.
16. Persons / C. Self-Awareness / 3. Limits of Introspection
We often can't decide what emotion, or even sensation, we are experiencing [Kim]
     Full Idea: It is not always easy for us to determine what emotion (or even physical sensations) we are experiencing.
     From: Jaegwon Kim (Philosophy of Mind [1996], p. 18)
     A reaction: Confused sensations are, I would have thought, rare. Emotions, I think, are only confused when they are weak, and then a lot of the confusion is merely verbal. Our body and intuitions understand the feeling well enough, but we lack the vocabulary.
How do we distinguish our anger from embarrassment? [Kim]
     Full Idea: How do we know that we are angry rather than embarrassed?
     From: Jaegwon Kim (Philosophy of Mind [1996], p.159)
     A reaction: A very nice question, because the only answer I (or anyone?) can think of is that they are distinguished by their content. Event A is annoying, while event B is embarrassing. Either of those feelings is almost inconceivable without its content.