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Reduction and Elimination in Philosophy and the Sciences

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sufficient to expla<strong>in</strong> all of <strong>the</strong> empirical data, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y do<br />

this us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> normal <strong>the</strong>oretical resources of natural<br />

science. Indeed, <strong>the</strong> postulation of content as <strong>the</strong> essential<br />

feature dist<strong>in</strong>guish<strong>in</strong>g mental from non-mental systems<br />

should be seen as <strong>the</strong> last rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g vestige of Cartesian<br />

dualism, <strong>and</strong>, contra Fodor, naturalized cognition has no<br />

place for a semantical ‘ghost <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e’. When it<br />

comes to computation <strong>and</strong> content, only <strong>the</strong> vehicle is<br />

required, not <strong>the</strong> excess baggage.<br />

Literature<br />

Brentano, F. 1874 Psychology from an Empirical St<strong>and</strong>po<strong>in</strong>t.<br />

Brooks, R. 1996 “Intelligence without Representation” <strong>in</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d<br />

Design II, J. Haugel<strong>and</strong> (ed.), MIT Press.<br />

The <strong>Elim<strong>in</strong>ation</strong> of Mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Computational Theories of M<strong>in</strong>d — Paul Schweizer<br />

Churchl<strong>and</strong>, P.M. 1998 “Conceptual Similarity Across Sensory <strong>and</strong><br />

Neural Diversity: The Fodor/Lepore Challenge Answered”, Journal<br />

of <strong>Philosophy</strong>, 96(1): 5-32.<br />

Fodor, J. 1975 The Language of Thought. Harvester Press.<br />

Laakso, A. <strong>and</strong> G. Cottrell 2000 “Content <strong>and</strong> Cluster Analysis:<br />

Assess<strong>in</strong>g Representational Similarity <strong>in</strong> Neural Systems”, Philosophical<br />

Psychology, 13(1): 47-76.<br />

Noё, A. 2004 Action <strong>in</strong> Perception, MIT Press.<br />

O’Brien, G. <strong>and</strong> J. Opie 2001 “Connectionist Vehicles, Structural<br />

Resemblance, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Phenomenal M<strong>in</strong>d”, Communication <strong>and</strong><br />

Cognition, 34: 13-38.<br />

Searle, J. 1980 “M<strong>in</strong>ds, Bra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> Programs”, Behavioral <strong>and</strong><br />

Bra<strong>in</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>, 3: 417-424.<br />

Van Gelder, T. 1996 “Dynamics <strong>and</strong> Cognition” <strong>in</strong> M<strong>in</strong>d Design II, J.<br />

Haugel<strong>and</strong> (ed.), MIT Press.<br />

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