Philosophy of Mind Visiting Speakers Seminar (Friday - Week 3, TT21)
Friday 14th May 2021, 13.30
Online
Rachel Goodman (Illinois): Singularism vs. Descriptivism?
My aim is to clarify the disagreement between people who identify as singularists about thought (who claim that there are non-descriptive thoughts about ordinary, external objects), and people who identify as descriptivists (who claim that all thoughts about ordinary, external objects are descriptive). I’ll clarify the common claim that singular thoughts have an anchoring role with respect to thought in general, and make two further claims: 1) some of the putative disagreements between singularists and descriptivists are illusory once clarified, and 2) singularists can more productively argue for their view by separating it from some of the framework in which it is commonly packaged.
People wishing to attend Mind Visiting Speakers will need to email Mike Martin, and will be sent a link for the meeting by the Thursday morning: the sessions will be secure, and each person who joins will need to be admitted to the session. So contacting Mike Martin ahead of time will be essential.