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Cognitive Science and the Problem of Semantic Content

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Philosophy, Mind, and Cognitive Inquiry

Part of the book series: Studies in Cognitive Systems ((COGS,volume 3))

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Abstract

By ‘cognitive science’ I mean the branch of cognitive psychology that incorporates the computer model, and that is sometimes known as ‘computational psychology’ and ‘information-processing psychology’ as well. My remarks are directed particularly against the version of cognitive science defended in recent writings by Jerry Fodor. By ‘the problem of semantic content’ I mean roughly the problem of explicating those features of a brain state or process by virtue of which it may properly be said to possess meaning or reference or truth value. Since I am primarily concerned with the account of semantic content implicated in Fodor’s version of cognitive science, I shall summarize that account before attempting to formulate the problem in a more precise manner.

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© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Sayre, K. (1990). Cognitive Science and the Problem of Semantic Content. In: Cole, D.J., Fetzer, J.H., Rankin, T.L. (eds) Philosophy, Mind, and Cognitive Inquiry. Studies in Cognitive Systems, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1882-5_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1882-5_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7340-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1882-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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