Single Idea 6174

[catalogued under 15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 6. Anti-Individualism]

Full Idea

If someone knew that a thinker had, without realising it, been transported to Twin Earth, they would almost certainly be a higher authority on the content of the thinker's thoughts than would the thinker.

Clarification

On Twin Earth, water looks like H2O, but isn't H2O

Gist of Idea

If someone is secretly transported to Twin Earth, others know their thoughts better than they do

Source

Mark Rowlands (Externalism [2003], Ch.8)

Book Reference

Rowlands,Mark: 'Externalism' [Acumen 2003], p.142


A Reaction

They would certainly be a higher authority on the truth of the thinker's thoughts, but only in the way that you might think I hold a diamond when I know it is a club. If the thinker believes it is H2O, the fact that it isn't is irrelevant to content.