Book contents
- Making Sense
- Making Sense
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- 1 An Introduction to the Puzzles of Understanding
- 2 Understanding As Feeling and As a Concept
- 3 The Linguistic Basis of Mind
- 4 Subjective Mental States
- 5 Objective Mental States
- 6 Intersubjectivity of Mental States
- 7 Identity Conditions for Feelings and Concepts
- 8 What “Understanding” Means
- 9 The Referential Scope of Understanding
- 10 Understanding and Children’s Theory of Mind
- 11 Understanding and Sense-Making
- 12 Understanding As a Learnable Skill
- 13 Understanding in Everyday Life
- 14 Ascriptivism and Cognitive Development
- References
- Index
8 - What “Understanding” Means
Ascribing Understanding
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 April 2022
- Making Sense
- Making Sense
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- 1 An Introduction to the Puzzles of Understanding
- 2 Understanding As Feeling and As a Concept
- 3 The Linguistic Basis of Mind
- 4 Subjective Mental States
- 5 Objective Mental States
- 6 Intersubjectivity of Mental States
- 7 Identity Conditions for Feelings and Concepts
- 8 What “Understanding” Means
- 9 The Referential Scope of Understanding
- 10 Understanding and Children’s Theory of Mind
- 11 Understanding and Sense-Making
- 12 Understanding As a Learnable Skill
- 13 Understanding in Everyday Life
- 14 Ascriptivism and Cognitive Development
- References
- Index
Summary
In Chapter 7, I argued that it was appropriate for us to ascribe understanding to young children and computers, as their behavior meets the criteria of correctness and intersubjectivity. What they cannot yet do, I argued, is ascribe understanding – that is, claim or attribute understanding – to themselves or others. Why does that matter?
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Making SenseWhat It Means to Understand, pp. 81 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022