Folk Psychology and the Philosophy of Mind

by Christensen; Scott M.

• ISBN13: 9780805809312
• ISBN10: 0805809317
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-01-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

Within the past ten years, the discussion of the nature of folk psychology and its role in explaining behavior and thought has become central to the philosophy of mind. However, no comprehensive account of the contemporary debate or collection of the works that make up this debate has yet been available. Intending to fill this gap, this volume begins with the crucial background for the contemporary debate and proceeds with a broad range of responses to and developments of these works -- from those who argue that "folk theory" is a misnomer to those who regard folk theory as legitimately explanatory and necessary for any adequate account of human behavior. Intended for courses in the philosophy of mind, psychology, and science, as well as anthropology and social psychology, this anthology is also of great value in courses focusing on folk models, eliminative materialism, explanation, psychological theory, and -- in particular -- intentional psychology. It is accessible to both graduate students and upper-division undergraduate students of philosophy and psychology as well as researchers. As an aid to students, a thorough discussion of the field and the articles in the anthology is provided in the introduction; as an aid to researchers, a complete bibliography is also provided.

Table of Contents

Contributors	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
The Elimination Of Folk Psychology	p. 1
Materialism and the Mind-Body Problem	p. 3
Mind-Body Identity, Privacy, and Categories	p. 17
Footnotes	p. 40
Eliminative Materialism and Propositional Attitudes	p. 42
Footnotes	p. 61
Intertheoretic Relations and the Future of Psychology	p. 63
Will the Concepts of Folk Psychology Find a Place in Cognitive Science?	p. 82
Footnotes	p. 92
The Future of Folk Psychology	p. 93
The Case Against The Case Against Belief	p. 119
Three Kinds of Intentional Psychology	p. 121
Footnotes	p. 142
Folk Psychology is Here to Stay	p. 144
Footnotes	p. 164
The Relationship Between Scientific Psychology and Common Sense Psychology	p. 167
Footnotes	p. 186
The Very Idea of a Folk Psychology	p. 188
Footnotes	p. 199
The Origins of Folk Psychology	p. 200
Footnotes	p. 220
The Persistence of the Attitudes	p. 221
Footnotes	p. 245
Folk Psychology and the Explanation of Human Behavior	p. 247
Understanding Folk	p. 263
In Defense of Southern Fundamentalism	p. 288
Footnotes	p. 307
Connectionism: The Death Of Folk Psychology?	p. 313
Connectionism, Eliminativism, and the Future of Folk Psychology	p. 315
Connectionism and the Future of Folk Psychology	p. 340
Footnotes	p. 367
The Connectionist Vindication of Folk Psychology	p. 368
Footnotes	p. 384
Consciousness, Intentionality, and Pragmatism	p. 388
Footnotes	p. 402
References	p. 405
Author Index	p. 431
Subject Index	p. 435
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