'Predicative minds: The social ontogeny of propositional thinking'. Radu J. Bogdan. MIT Press. 2009.

D. Hutto

Research output: Contribution to journalBook/Film/Article reviewpeer-review

Abstract

To predicate is to attribute one represented item of another—for example, to say of a book that it is exciting. Only human minds are predicative minds. But we are not natural-born predicators; we become so by a process of socialization into linguistic practices. That is the central hypothesis of this book. The book is divided into three parts. The first sets the stage, introducing a problem with all existing accounts of predication. Here Bogdan distinguishes acts of mere co-instantiation, in which two simultaneously represented items are held in mind together, from predication proper. He complains that traditional treatments—including those that might be provided by Fregeans, Fodorians, and Davidsonians—necessarily fall short of what is required for explaining the special sort of unity that predication requires. In a nutshell, this is because such accounts only deal with the formal and semantic features of mental representations, whereas—if Bogdan is correct—what is required is attention to the psychopragmatic features of predicative thinking as well.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1141-1145
JournalMind
Volume119
Issue number476
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

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