Intentionality and the Myths of the Given: Between Pragmatism and Phenomenology (Routledge Studies in American Philosophy)

Intentionality is one of the central problems of modern philosophy. How can a thought, action or belief be about something? Sachs draws on the work of Wilfrid Sellars, C I Lewis and Maurice Merleau-Ponty to build a new theory of intentionality that solves many of the problems faced by traditional conceptions. The hallmark of the theory is a distinction between "discursive intentionality" (the intentionality of propositional thought and talk) and "somatic intentionality" (the intentionality of bodily perception and action). Doing so sheds new light on Sellars's influential arguments concerning the 'Myth of the Given' and shows how we can build a productive discourse between American pragmatism, analytical philosophy and European phenomenology Introduction: Why A New Account Of Intentionality? -- Intentionality And The Problem Of Transcendental Friction -- The Epistemic Given And The Semantic Given In C. I. Lewis -- Discursive Intentionality And 'nonconceptual Content' In Sellars -- The Retreat From Nonconceptualism: Discourse And Experience In Brandom And Mcdowell -- Somatic Intentionality And Habitual Normativity In Merleau-ponty's Account Of Lived Embodiment -- The Possibilities And Problems Of Bifurcated Intentionality -- Conclusion By Carl B. Sachs Includes Bibliographical References (pages 169-176) Content: Introduction : Why a New Account of Intentionality? -- Intentionality and the Problem of Transcendental Friction -- The Epistemic Given and the Semantic Given in C. I. Lewis -- Discursive Intentionality and 'Nonconceptual Content' in Sellars -- The Retreat from Nonconceptualism : Discourse and Experience in Brandom and McDowell -- Somatic Intentionality and Habitual Normativity in Merleau-Ponty's Account of Lived Embodiment -- The Possibilities and Problems of Bifurcated Intentionality -- Conclusion

Intentionality is one of the central problems of modern philosophy. How can a thought, action or belief be about something? Sachs draws on the work of Wilfrid Sellars, C I Lewis and Maurice Merleau-Ponty to build a new theory of intentionality that solves many of the problems faced by traditional conceptions.

"Sachs has written a perceptive and well-argued book about a set of verychallenging authors. If one wishes to understand the deepest issues that threadcurrent neo-pragmatist thought, one could do no better than to pick up Sachs’book." -Steven Levine, The Philosophical Quarterly