Mind as a Metaphor

What are mental states? When we say that someone has a particular belief or desire, are we making a claim about what is going on inside their head? If we are, might future cognitive science show that we are wrong? Might it turn out that beliefs and desires do not exist? My aim in this talk is to propose a new approach to these longstanding questions about mental states. To do so, I will draw on parallels with metaphor and figurative language. When we attribute mental states, I shall argue, we are not making claims about someone’s inner machinery. Instead, our talk about inner states is a useful pretence for making sense of people and their behaviour. After introducing this approach, I will consider some of its implications for our understanding of the mind and its relationship to material culture, such as notebooks, maps, blueprints and field guides.