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Ideas for 'Precis of 'Limits of Abstraction'', 'The Definition of Good' and 'Mental Files in Flux'

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2 ideas

18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 5. Mental Files
Mental files are concepts, which are either collections or (better) containers [Recanati]
     Full Idea: Mental files are entries in the mental encyclopedia, that is, concepts. Some, following Grice, say they are information collections, but I think of them as containers. Collections are determined by their elements, but containers have independent identity.
     From: François Recanati (Mental Files in Flux [2016], Pref)
     A reaction: [compressed] [Grice reference is 'Vacuous Names' (1969)] I agree with Recanati. The point is that you can invoke a file by a label, even when you don't know what the content is.
The Frege case of believing a thing is both F and not-F is explained by separate mental files [Recanati]
     Full Idea: Frege's Constraint says if a subject believes an object is both F and not-F (as in 'Frege cases'), then the subject thinks of that object under distinct modes of presentation. Having distinct mental files of the object is sufficient to generate this.
     From: François Recanati (Mental Files in Flux [2016], Pref)
     A reaction: [compressed] When you look at how many semantic puzzles (notably from Frege and Kripke) are solved by the existence of labelled mental files, the case for them is overwhelming.