Teleosemantics: Etiological Foundations

Häggqvist, Sören

doi:10.1111/j.1747-9991.2012.00532.x

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…Critics have identified this historical grounding of contents as the central weak spot of standard teleosemantics. It has been argued that this historical nature makes contents epistemically opaque because the relevant history is unknown (Braddon-Mitchell and Jackson 1997; Häggqvist 2013, 80f.). Other critics complain that standard teleosemantics makes mental contents epiphenomenal properties with no causal or explanatory powers (Saidel 2001; Polger 2004, 175; Bickhard 2007, 576; Bauer 2017, 161f.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dilemma of Ahistorical Teleosemantics

Hundertmark¹

2023

Philos. sci.

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Teleosemantic theories aim to naturalize mental representation through the use of functions, typically based on past selection processes. However, the historical dependence of these theories has faced severe criticism, leading some philosophers to develop ahistorical alternatives. This paper presents a new dilemma for all ahistorical teleosemantic theories, focusing in particular on the theories proposed by Timothy Schroeder and Bence Nanay. These theories require certain dispositions in the producers or consumers of mental representations. But the appeal to dispositions puts the proponents in an undesirable position: mental content is either overly dependent on current circumstances or ultimately dependent on historical factors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dilemma of Ahistorical Teleosemantics

Hundertmark¹

2023

Philos. sci.

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“…By contrast, Millikan's account is completely general. Though there are other potential problems with Millikan's biosemantic programme, I will here assume that they can be handled without significant modification, or at least in ways that leave intact the core aspects of biosemantics and success that are relevant to my discussion. For an overview of issues concerning the relevant etiological notion of function in relation to the semantic programme, see Häggqvist (). For a recent collection of critical essays and responses from Millikan, see Ryder et al ().…”

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confidence: 99%

Strategic Content: Representations of Epistemic Modality in Biosemantics (and Success Semantics)

Björnsson

2018

Theoria

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A central idea in Ruth Millikan's biosemantics is that a representation's content is restricted to conditions required for the normal success of actions that it has as its function to guide. This article raises and responds to a problem for this idea. The problem is that the success requirement seems to block us from saying that epistemic modal judgements represent our epistemic circumstances. For the normal success of actions guided by these judgements seems to depend on what is actually the case, not on whether or to what extent various possibilities were supported by the evidence. In response, I argue, first, that actions guided by epistemic modal judgements have as their function to implement strategies for handling epistemic circumstances, second, that the successful performance of this function requires that aspects of these circumstances obtain, and, third, that biosemantics can thus understand epistemic modal judgements as representing these aspects. The recognition of such strategic contents introduces complications; I further argue that these are benign.

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Teleosemantics: Etiological Foundations

Cited by 2 publications

References 47 publications

The Dilemma of Ahistorical Teleosemantics

The Dilemma of Ahistorical Teleosemantics

Strategic Content: Representations of Epistemic Modality in Biosemantics (and Success Semantics)

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