How Does A Particular Intentional Mental State, Such As A Belief Or A Desire, Come To Have Its Particular Content?

Abstract: To conjure a concept is to bring about thought; however, the question as to where and how that thought originated continues to be a critical debate within philosophical circles. Is mankind merely a pawn in a grander, more extensive interplay of intentional mental states like beliefs or desires that exist only because of external influences, or do people truly harbor an internal, ethereal knowledge that serves as the foundation of content? If externalist theories of content are true, it seems as if a person could be wrong about what he or she comes to believe. However, such theories and methods used to pose the externalist threat to self knowledge, along with responses to them that claim self-knowledge and externalism are compatible, may well provide a better understanding of how the argument for internalism has just as much influence - if not more - within the quest for a convincing conjecture. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

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Catagory: Philosophy Of Religion, God'S Existence & Freewill

Subcatagory: Philosophy

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