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Thought Experiments and the Myth of Intuitive Content

McGahhey, Marcus
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Abstract

Many contemporary philosophers are committed – either implicitly or explicitly – to Propositionalism about thought-experimental intuitions. According to this view, thought-experimental intuitions are (1) phenomenally conscious, (2) spontaneous, (3) and non-theoretical; most importantly, Propositionalists claim that intuitions (4) bear consciously accessible propositional content. The negative project of this essay is a critique of (4), the rejection of which is tantamount to rejecting Propositionalism. In addition, I propose an alternative position – namely, Interpretationalism. According to Interpretationalism, intuitions possess the features ascribed in (1)-(3); however, they do not bear consciously accessible propositional content. Instead, intuitions acquire cognitive significance by virtue of being interpreted in light of a subject’s background beliefs.

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Date
2016-08-12
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Research Projects
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Keywords
Intuitions, Thought Experiments, Intuitive Content, Interpretation
Citation
McGahhey, Marcus. "Thought Experiments and the Myth of Intuitive Content." 2016. Thesis, Georgia State University. https://doi.org/10.57709/8644420
Embargo Lift Date
2016-05-24
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