Mental Iconicity · PHIL 386

About the seminar

This seminar will examine the question of format in mental representation, from the perspective of an informational and computational theory of mind. Taking the language of thought hypothesis as our foil, we will look at evidence and arguments for the existence of diagrammatic, pictorial, and map-like representations in the mind and in the brain.

Schedule

* marks the focus of discussion · ↗ opens an outside site

Date	Topic	Reading	Recommended
Thu1/12	Session 1Iconic and symbolic representation Handout	Giardino and Greenberg (2015) “Varieties of iconicity” Greenberg (2022) “The iconic-symbolic spectrum”*	Shimojima (2001) “The graphic-linguistic distinction”
Thu1/19	Session 2Informational teleosemantics I: representation Handout	Shea (2018) Representations in Cognitive Science, Chapter 4: “Correlational Information” (especially 4.1-4.5)* Neander (2017) A Mark of the Mental, Ch. 5: “Simple Minds”	Gallistel and King (2009) Memory and the Computational Brain, Chapter 4: “Representations” and Chapter 5: “Symbols” Shea (2018) Representations in Cognitive Science (especially Chapter 3: “Functions for representation”) Optional Jacob (2019) SEP: “Intentionality: 9. Can intentionality be naturalized?” Schulte and Neander (2002) SEP: “Teleological Theories of Mental Content”
Thu2/2	Session 3Informational teleosemantics II: structural iconicity Handout	Shea (2018) Representations in Cognitive Science, Ch: 5 “Structural correspondence”* Neander (2017) A Mark of the Mental, Ch. 8 “Causally driven analogs”	Moser, Kropff, and Moser (2008) “Place Cells, Grid Cells, and the Brain’s Spatial Representation System” Shepard and Chipman (1970) “Second-order isomorphism of internal representations”
Tue2/7	Session 4Language-like thought Handout Make-up class: Tuesday 2/7, Building 80-113	Fodor (1987) “Why there still has to be a language of thought”* Quilty-Dunn, Porot, and Mandelbaum (2022) “The best game in town: the re-emergence of the language of thought hypothesis across the cognitive sciences”	Rescorla (2021) SEP: “The language of thought hypothesis”
Thu2/9	Session 5Map-like thought Handout Short paper due Fri 2/17	Camp (2007) “Thinking with maps”* Rescorla (2009) “Cognitive maps and the language of thought”	Camp (2018) “Why maps are not propositional” Peer et al. (2021) “Structuring knowledge with cognitive maps and cognitive graphs”
Thu2/16	Session 6Symbolic perception Handout	Pylyshyn (2007) Things and Places, Ch. 1: “Introducing the problem: connecting perception and the world” Green and Quilty-Dunn (2017) “What is an object file?”*	Quilty-Dunn (2019) “Perceptual pluralism”
Thu2/23	Session 7Iconic perception Handout Long paper preview due Mon 2/27	Peacocke (2019) The Primacy of Metaphysics, Ch. 2: “Magnitudes” [2.1-2.3] Burge (2022) Perception: First Form of Mind, Ch. 9: “The Iconic Nature of Perception” [1-23, 39, 58-62]*	Beck (2018) “Analog mental representation” Beck (2019) “Perception is analog: the argument from Weber's Law” Clarke (2022) “Mapping the visual icon”
Thu3/2	Session 8Retinotopic maps Handout Slides	Schwarzlose (2021) Brainscapes, Ch. 1: “An atlas of you: what is a brain map?”* Frisby and Stone (2010) Seeing, Ch. 9: “Seeing with brain maps” [229-238, 247-253]*	Kaas (1997) “Topographic Maps are Fundamental to Sensory Processing” Chklovskii and Koulakov (2004) “Maps in the brain: What can we learn from them?” [369-374, 384-388] Brewer and Barton (2012) “Visual field map organization in human visual cortex” Wandell et al. (2007) “Visual field maps in human cortex”
Thu3/9	Session 9Retinotopic semantics Handout	Greenberg (2021) “Semantics of pictorial space” [1-26]	Peacocke (1992) “Perceptual concepts” Lande (2018) “The perspectival character of perception”
Thu3/16	Session 10Brain maps Handout Long paper due Fri 3/24	Schwarzlose (2021) Brainscapes: Ch. 2: “The tyranny of numbers: why brain maps exist” Ch. 3: “How brain maps determine what we see and feel”	—

Requirements

Short paper: 5 page short discussion paper. Due Fri 2/17. In about 5 pages, summarize and evaluate a single idea (or two closely related ideas) from one (or two) of the readings. Discuss at least one example in detail.
Long paper preview: Meeting with the professor to discuss the longer term paper. Due Mon 2/27: by this date, schedule a meeting with me to discuss themes or an outline for your final paper.
Long paper: 10-15 page long term paper. Due Fri 3/24. In 10-15 pages, discuss an issue that is deals with, or is related to, the themes of this course. Prioritize depth over breadth. Detailed examples are essential. Illustrations are recommended. The long paper may build upon the short paper.
Weekly question prompts: Each week prepare 2-3 questions about the reading to share with the class.
Readings: I have generally assigned two readings per week, and to get the most of this class, you should do both readings. In the interest of good classroom discussion, I have starred (*) one reading each week which the discussion will focus on. You really must read this one!