24.526, Books: Mental Files: Recanati

Wed Jan 30 14:58:27 UTC 2013

LINGUIST List: Vol-24-526. Wed Jan 30 2013. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 24.526, Books: Mental Files: Recanati

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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:58:16
From: Zach Borenstein [zach.borenstein at oup.com]
Subject: Mental Files: Recanati

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Title: Mental Files 
Publication Year: 2013 
Publisher: Oxford University Press
	   http://www.oup.com/us

Book URL: http://www.us.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Philosophy/Mind/?view=usa&ci=9780199659999 

Author: François Recanati

Hardback: ISBN:  9780199659982 Pages: 240 Price: U.S. $ 75.00
Paperback: ISBN:  9780199659999 Pages: 240 Price: U.S. $ 29.95

Abstract:

Francois Recanati presents his theory of mental files, a new way of
understanding reference in language and thought. He aims to recast the
"nondescriptivist" approach to reference that has dominated the philosophy of
language and mind in the late twentieth century. According to Recanati, we
refer through mental files, which play the role of so-called "modes of
presentation." The reference of linguistic expressions is inherited from that
of the files we associate with them. The reference of a file is determined
relationally, not satisfactionally: so a file is not to be equated to the body
of (mis)information it contains. Files are like singular terms in the language
of thought, with a nondescriptivist semantics.

In contrast to other philosophers, Recanati offers an indexical model
according to which files are typed by their function, which is to store
information derived through certain types of relation to objects in the
environment. The type of the file corresponds to the type of contextual
relation it exploits. Even detached files or "encyclopedia entries" are based
on epistemically rewarding relations to their referent, on Recanati's account.

Among the topics discussed in this wide-ranging book are: acquaintance
relations and singular thought; cognitive significance; the vehicle/content
distinction; the nature of indexical concepts; co-reference de jure and
judgments of identity; cognitive dynamics; recognitional and perceptual
concepts; confused thought and the transparency requirement on modes of
presentation; descriptive names and "acquaintanceless" singular thought; the
communication of indexical thoughts; two-dimensional defences of
Descriptivism; the Generality Constraint; attitude ascriptions and the
"vicarious" use of mental files; first-person thinking; token-reflexivity in
language and thought.

Linguistic Field(s): Cognitive Science
                     General Linguistics
                     Philosophy of Language

Written In: English  (eng)

See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/books/get-book.cfm?BookID=64006

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