Friday, December 30, 2011

Could Intentionality be an Illusion? A Note on Rosenberg

Interesting argument against the idea that thoughts are something material: Maverick Philosopher: Could Intentionality be an Illusion? A Note on Rosenberg:
1. Either the words "The notion that thoughts are about stuff is illusory" express a thought -- the thought that there are no object-directed thoughts -- or they do not.
2. If the latter, then the words are meaningless.
3. If the former, then the thought is either true or false.
4. If the thought is true, then there there are no object-directed thoughts, including the one expressed by Rosenberg's words, and so his words are once again meaningless.
5. If the thought is false, then there are object-directed thoughts, and Rosenberg's claim is false.
Therefore
6. Rosenberg's claim is either meaningless or false. His position is self-refuting.

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