Where Conscious Subjectivity Is Concerned, There Is

I Want To Block Some Common Misunderstandings About "understanding": In Many Of These Discussions One Finds A Lot Of Fancy Footwork About The Word "understanding."

In Many Cases It Is A Matter For Decision And Not A Simple Matter Of Fact Whether X Understands Y; And So On.

It Seems To Me Obvious That Infants And Many Animals That Do Not In Any Ordinary Sense Have A Language Or Perform Speech Acts Nonetheless Have Intentional States. Only Someone In The Grip Of A Philosophical Theory Would Deny That Small Babies Can Literally Be Said To Want Milk And That Dogs Want To Be Let Out Or Believe That Their Master Is At The Door.

Nowadays Nobody Bothers, And It Is Considered In Slightly Bad Taste To Even Raise The Question Of God's Existence. Matters Of Religion Are Like Matters Of Sexual Preference: They Are Not Discussed In Public, And Even The Abstract Questions Are Discussed Only By Bores.

The General Nature Of The Speech Act Fallacy Can Be Stated As Follows, Using "good" As Our Example. Calling Something Good Is Characteristically Praising Or Commending Or Recommending It, Etc. But It Is A Fallacy To Infer From This That The Meaning Of "good" Is Explained By Saying It Is Used To Perform The Act Of Commendation.