Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind

by John Haugeland

The unifying theme of these thirteen essays is understanding. What is it? What does it take to have it? What does it presuppose in what can be understood? In the first group of essays, John Haugeland addresses mind and intelligence. Intelligibility comes to the fore in a set of “metaphysical” pieces on analog and digital systems and supervenience. In the third set of papers, Haugeland elaborates and then undermines a battery of common presuppositions about the foundational notions of intentionality and representation. Finally, the fourth and most recent group of essays confronts the essential character of understanding in relation to what is understood. The necessary interdependence between personality and intelligence is developed and explained, specifically in the conditions of the possibility of objective scientific knowledge.

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 1998

Reviews

[Zedder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think John Haugeland might just be the best living philosopher.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great analytic metaphysics that is consistent with theories in embodied cognition.
I especially enjoyed the chapters in the last section of Truth. Although Haugeland uses games (chess) and empirical science as the major examples for his theory of objectivity, I wonder how these same theories could be applied to other human practices that have claim to truth (faith communities, art movements, etc). When I explained Haugeland's theory to a friend, he mentioned that it sounds like the simple schema theory in psychology. I think they are consistent, but Haugeland really gives a marvelously crip and detailed account of objectivity that goes far beyond schema theory. Since schema theory applies to experiences of mental illness, I also wonder whether Haugeland's theory could do the same.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the great fortune to study under John Haugeland as an undergraduate at Pitt (I believe he's at Chicago now). His classes were challenging and engaging--the quality of teaching in that department was better than the graduate school I attended--and he is a very kind person to boot. My thought has hewed very closely to his regarding the mind, the world, and the promise and limitations of "artificial thought" and so I found this book extremely refreshing and an education in itself. Haugeland straddles what have been called analytic and continental styles of philosophy and my subsequent career took me in the same direction.

[jeremiah]

One of the fascinating things about Haugeland is that his writing style reflects his system theory-inspired philosophy. Most of these papers start small, introducing conceptual pieces, and only at the end is there a "big reveal"--the argument Haugeland's had in mind all along, where everything, for better or worse, seems to come together, in one grand, gear-turning philosophical enterprise. For example, see "Mind Embodied and Embedded" and, what's possibly the most challenging paper in the book, "Truth and Rule-Following."

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dense. Some good insights (absolute vs. relative vs. distributed meaning, commitment to activities makes them real a la the construction of social reality), but I'm still firmly a pragmatist.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Metaphysics with John.

[Derek Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start for study of phil of mind...

[Abhay Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated but Excellent

[Sarah Schieffer Riehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book kicks ass & so does john haugeland.