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The Nature of Symbols in the Language of Thought
Author(s) -
SCHNEIDER SUSAN
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
mind and language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.905
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1468-0017
pISSN - 0268-1064
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0017.2009.01373.x
Subject(s) - symbol (formal) , intentionality , core (optical fiber) , cognitive science , linguistics , computer science , epistemology , psychology , philosophy , telecommunications
The core of the language of thought program is the claim that thinking is the manipulation of symbols according to rules. Yet LOT has said little about symbol natures, and existing accounts are highly controversial. This is a major flaw at the heart of the LOT program: LOT requires an account of symbol natures to naturalize intentionality, to determine whether the brain even engages in symbol manipulations, and to understand how symbols relate to lower‐level neurocomputational states. This paper provides the much‐needed theory of symbols, and in doing so, alters the LOT program in significant respects.