The structure of representation: a new theory of propositional content

• Antragsteller: Dr. Jan Westerhoff
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Theoretische Philosophie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2005 bis 2008
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 5455410

The aim of the research outlined below is to develop a new account of the structure of propositional content, that is of the structure of what such different bearers of information as sentences, beliefs, diagrams, pictures, brain states, models and maps represent. The theory of be developed will differ from present accounts in two main respects. Firstly it incorporates insights from widely accepted theories of our cognitive capacities employing propositional representation (such as logic, belief dynamics and decision theory). Secondly the theory will be representation-independent, i.e. it will not accord a privileged rôle to any particular framework of representation (such as linguistic representation) but investigate an account of the structure of ¿grammar¿ of representation more general than that usually discussed in linguistics. The results obtained will therefore be of interest to a variety of disciplines dealing with representations, in particular to linguistics and cognitive science. Further development of the projekt will investigate the relation of this theory of propositional content to issues in the history of ideas, theoretical neuroscience and the philosophy of mathematics.

• DFG-Verfahren: Forschungsstipendien
• Internationaler Bezug: Großbritannien, USA
• Gastgeber: Professor John D Greenwood