Cognitive Science 108/ Linguistics 108

The Challenge of Cognitive Science to Western Philosophy

Readings (in Philosophy in the Flesh)

Reading for Tuesday, October 12, 1999: Read Chapter 14.

Homework 7

Due at the Beginning of Class Tuesday, October 12, 1999.

Ground Rules: Discuss the homework with the members of your group. No group notes are to be taken. Write up your homeworks individually. They should be in 12 point type, either 1 & 1/2 spaced or double spaced, with at least 1 inch margins. No late homeworks.

This homework is on the course website:

www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~bbergen/cs108/

We suggest the following: Go to the website and download a copy of the homework. Copy the questions into a new file, and fill in your answers after each question, using a different font (e.g., put the questions in italics and the answers in roman). This way it will be clearer to the grader which answer goes with which question, and you will have an overview of all your answers to questions, one by one, at the end of the course.

 

  1. Pick 5 of the metaphors for the self and, for each, find a situation where you would find that metaphor apt in your own life. In each case, (1) make up a sentence that is an instance of that metaphor and (2) give a one-sentence description of a situation in which you would take the sentence as true.
    2.
  2. Consider the correspondence theory of truth. What problems, if any, would it have for the sentences you made up in example 1? A short discussion of the general problems is appropriate.
    3.
  3. A postmodernist philosopher might claim that such metaphorical concepts of the self were historical innovations that were strictly matters of historical cultural situations at various times in Western culture. How would such a claim fit with the Japanese examples given in Chapter 13?
    4.
  4. Which of the metaphors for a subject in Chapter 13 correspond to the concept of (a) the Cartesian homunculus; (b) the soul, in the Judeo-Christian tradition; and (c) the reincarnated person in religious traditions with reincarnation. Identify the metaphors and give a brief (1 sentence) justification of your response.