Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T14:00:16.871Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Unsymbolized thinking, sensory awareness, and mindreading

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2009

Russell T. Hurlburt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030. [email protected]://www.nevada.edu/~russ

Abstract

Carruthers views unsymbolized thinking as “purely propositional” and, therefore, as a potential threat to his mindreading-is-prior position. I argue that unsymbolized thinking may involve (non-symbolic) sensory aspects; it is therefore not purely propositional, and therefore poses no threat to mindreading-is-prior. Furthermore, Descriptive Experience Sampling lends empirical support to the view that access to our own propositional attitudes is interpretative, not introspective.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Carruthers, P. (1996b) Language, thought and consciousness. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Heavey, C. L. & Hurlburt, R. T. (2008) The phenomena of inner experience. Consciousness and Cognition 17:798810.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hurlburt, R. (1990) Sampling normal and schizophrenic inner experience. Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Hurlburt, R. (1993) Sampling inner experience in disturbed affect. Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hurlburt, R. (1997) Randomly sampling thinking in the natural environment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 65(6):941–49.Google Scholar
Hurlburt, R. (2006) Comprehending behavioral statistics, 4th edition.Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Hurlburt, R. T. & Akhter, S. A. (2006) The Descriptive Experience Sampling method. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 5:271301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hurlburt, R. T. & Akhter, S. A. (2008) Unsymbolized thinking. Consciousness and Cognition 17:1364–74.Google Scholar
Hurlburt, R. T. & Heavey, C. L. (2006) Exploring inner experience: The Descriptive Experience Sampling method. John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hurlburt, R. T. & Heavey, C. L.(in preparation) Sensory awareness.Google Scholar
Hurlburt, R. T. & Schwitzgebel, E. (2007) Describing inner experience? Proponent meets skeptic. Bradford Books/MIT Press.Google Scholar