Theo Todman's Web Page - Paper Abstracts

Philosophers Index Abstract

I defend elements of the "Cartesian Theory of Mind," a traditional picture of the fundamental nature of representational states. It holds that (i) content properties are nonrelational, (ii) we have noninferential knowledge of thoughts, (iii) content determines truth conditions, (iv) we know we refer to contingent particulars, and (v) content is causally relevant to behavior. These yield a contradiction given other plausible theses. Consistency is restored by modifying (v), distinguishing thoughts attributed in natural language, and thoughts underlying our conception of ourselves as rational agents, 'Cartesian Thoughts,' and taking the theory to be about Cartesian thought.