9 research outputs found
How Anti-Introspectionist is Theory Theory?
Introspection is often seen as criterion to
distinguish between theory theory (TT) and simulation
theory (ST). Many empirical arguments against ST rely
upon the thesis that ST is introspectionist and that it
presupposes the Cartesian dictum that the mind is
transparent to itself. According to Perner 1999 the capacity
to introspect is so important for ST that it can be seen as
the criterion that distinguishes ST from TT: "These two
positions and their sub-varieties differ as to whether they
presuppose or explain the ability to introspect. Theory
theory is extremely anti-introspectionist. Traditional
simulation is based on the ability to introspect one's own
mental states." (Perner 1999
The Power of God and Miracles
In this paper we explicate the notion of a miracle and highlight a suitable ontological framework for it. Our proposal draws on insights from Aquinas’s discussion of miracles and from the modern ontology of powers. We argue that each substance possesses a characteristic set of natural powers and dispositions which are operative or become manifest in the right circumstances. In a miracle divine intervention activates the fundamental disposition inherent in each creature to be responsive to God’s call. Thus, a miracle brings something about which a substance’s set of natural powers and dispositions could not bring about by itself