Biosemantics: An Evolutionary Theory of Thought |
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Authors: | Crystal L’Hôte |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Philosophy, St. Michael’s College, Colchester, VT 05439, USA |
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Abstract: | Evolutionary theory has an unexpected application in philosophy of mind, where it is used by the so-called biosemantic program—also
called the teleosemantic program—to account for the representational capacities of neural states and processes in a way that
conforms to an overarching scientific naturalism. Biosemantic theories account for the representational capacities of neural
states and processes by appealing in particular to their evolutionary function, as that function is determined by a process
of natural selection. As a result, biosemantic theories have distinct advantages over other theories of mental representation—e.g.,
Fodor’s causal theory. Foremost among the advantages of biosemantic theories is their ability to account for the possibility
of mental misrepresentation. |
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Keywords: | |
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