Philosophy 2500F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Geiger Counter, Causal Inference, Solipsism

• School: Western University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: Philosophy 2500F/G
• Professor: Steve Bland

Document Summary

One problems is that there are usually many different sensory routes to any given sensory location. Another problem with this view is that we can make intelligible claims about states of affairs taking place at locations whose sensory routes we have never experienced. Presumably, i know the meaning of the claim that the white house is located at 1600 pennsylvania ave . However, never having been to washington dc, i have not experienced any of the sensory routes to the white house. Thus, the phenomenalist seems forced to admit that i don"t know what this claim means- but this is highly implausible. We make inferences from peoples behaviour to the mental states that are causally responsible for their behaviour. We do not experience other people"s mental states any more than er experience mind- independent objects. Therefore, we cannot rightly make inferences from someone"s behaviour to the presence of a particular mental state.