"Many of the conceptual confusions fundamental to modern cognitivist theory had already been identified and widely recognised before the 'cognitive revolution' of the 1960s. Yet, whenever such confusions were pointed out, they are either fleetingly acknowledged, only to be quickly forgotten, or, more usually, emphatically denied. And, as I have found out to my own… Continue reading Misrepresenting Representation
Tag: Intentionality
On Purpose
The Cartesian assumptions of cognitive psychology give rise to an insoluable problem, the 'problem of other minds'. It is presupposed that people do not provide evidence of their intentions in the observable environment, but we seem to understand their intentions nevertheless (the ‘unobservability principle’: Krueger, 2012). The ‘problem of other minds’ is thus a kind… Continue reading On Purpose
Psychology as Ideology
Much as the sociobiologists of the 1980's provided the 'neoliberal' capitalists of their era with the naturalisation of selfishness, cognitive psychology's conception of the mind makes it a suitable perspective for capitalist ideology: each person is isolated within their own head and must use a complex system of internal representations in order to mirror or… Continue reading Psychology as Ideology
Beyond Cognitive Hypocrisy
One thing that make's Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics such an absorbing read, even today, is that it is unafraid to explicitly described chimpanzee behaviour in terms humans would recognise. There's times when this approach less useful than others (comparing Richard Nixon and a chimpanzee's behaviour strictly in terms of their reaction to losing power… Continue reading Beyond Cognitive Hypocrisy
Reheated Chomsky
Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar has faced near-constant criticism since the 1950s, and recent criticism has been very strong indeed, but Chomksy-ist theory (if not Universal Grammar exactly) remains the primary force in modern psychology and lingustics. How is this? Chomsky originally proposed that there are underlying principles of grammar consistent across all languages, and… Continue reading Reheated Chomsky
Society In Mind 