Language, thought, and consciousness : an essay in philosophical psychology

Do we think in natural language? Or is language only for communication? Much recent work in philosophy and cognitive science assumes the latter. In contrast, Peter Carruthers argues that much of human conscious thinking is conducted in the medium of natural language sentences. However, this does not commit him to any sort of Whorfian linguistic relativism, and the view is developed within a framework that is broadly nativist and modularist. His study will be essential reading for all those interested in the nature and significance of natural language, whether they come from philosophy, psychology or linguistics.

peter Carruthers Argues That Much Of Human Conscious Thinking Is Conducted In The Medium Of Natural Language Sentences.

psyche - Lawrence Kaye

...[a]n Impressive Attempt At Explaining Consciousness Via The Role Of Language In Cognition. His Central Thesis About Linguistic Thought Is That Occurrent Human Thought Occurs In Natural, Spoken Languages....carruthers Admits That Roughly Speaking, The Overall Message Of The Book Has The Form, 'hey!, Let's Have A Look Over Here! There's A View Which Hasn't Been Taken As Seriously As It Should Be Lately.' We Can Certainly Credit Him With Pointing Us In The General Direction Of Some Interesting Views.

Contents......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Introduction......Page 18 1 The geography of the issues......Page 26 2 Which language do we think with?......Page 57 3 Thought-based semantics......Page 90 4 Holism and language......Page 120 5 First steps towards a theory of consciousness......Page 150 6 Second (-order) steps towards a theory of consciousness......Page 181 7 A reflexive thinking theory of consciousness......Page 211 8 The involvement of language in conscious thinking......Page 242 Conclusion......Page 294 References......Page 297 Index......Page 304 0521481589,hardback,0521639999,paperback Cambridge University Press Contents 10 Preface 12 Introduction 18 1 The geography of the issues 26 2 Which language do we think with? 57 3 Thought-based semantics 90 4 Holism and language 120 5 First steps towards a theory of consciousness 150 6 Second (-order) steps towards a theory of consciousness 181 7 A reflexive thinking theory of consciousness 211 8 The involvement of language in conscious thinking 242 Conclusion 294 References 297 Index 304 Preface -- Introduction -- The Geography Of The Issues -- Which Language Do We Think With? -- Thought-based Semantics -- Holism And Language -- First Steps Towards A Theory Of Consciousness -- Second ( -order) Steps Towards A Theory Of Consciousness -- A Reflexive Thinking Theory Of Consciousness -- The Involvement Of Language In Conscious Thinking -- Conclusion -- References -- Index. Peter Carruthers. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 280-286) And Index. In this first chapter I shall outline the nature of my project, discuss its potential significance for both philosophy and psychology, and set out my background assumptions.