Cognitive Science
The interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence reveals the limits of computational models—thought transcends mechanism, and meaning cannot be reduced to syntax.
Rationality and Reason
Human reasoning displays capacities that challenge purely naturalistic explanation. We don't just process information; we understand, evaluate, and reason toward truth.
If minds are products of blind evolution, why should they be reliable guides to truth? Darwin himself worried that the convictions of a monkey's mind could not be trusted. Yet we do trust reason—and this trust is vindicated by science, mathematics, and logic.
- Abstract Thought: We grasp universal concepts, necessary truths, and mathematical objects—not just particulars. We understand 'justice,' 'infinity,' and 'possibility.' How does matter think the abstract?
- Logical Inference: We recognize valid arguments as valid—we don't just follow rules, we understand why they work. We see that modus ponens is truth-preserving. This is insight, not computation.
- Self-Reflection: We can think about our own thinking—a recursive capacity unique to minds. We evaluate our beliefs, correct our errors, and improve our reasoning. This metacognition is remarkable.
- The Argument from Reason: C.S. Lewis argued that naturalism undermines reason. If thoughts are just brain events caused by prior brain events, they're not 'about' anything. Reason requires more than causation.
Intentionality: The Aboutness of Mind
Mental states are 'about' things—they have content and reference. This 'aboutness' (intentionality) resists physical explanation. How does matter point beyond itself?
Intentionality is the mark of the mental. Beliefs are about states of affairs; desires are for outcomes; fears are of dangers. Physical states just are what they are—they don't represent anything else. The gap between is and about is unbridged.
- Original Intentionality: Minds have intrinsic meaning; computers only have derived meaning from their designers. The words on this screen mean nothing to the computer—only to you.
- Mental Content: Thoughts represent states of affairs—I can think about Paris without being in Paris. How does a brain state 'point beyond' itself to something else? This is the mystery of representation.
- Truth and Reference: We can think true thoughts about reality—beliefs that accurately represent how things are. This capacity for truth is remarkable and requires explanation.
- Normativity: Thoughts can be correct or incorrect, rational or irrational. This normative dimension—the 'ought' of reasoning—has no place in a purely physical world.