Arthur B. Markman (1998) Information is not Semantic Content,
. Psycoloquy: 9(78) Representation Mediation (13)
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Psycoloquy 9(78): Information is not Semantic Content,
INFORMATION IS NOT SEMANTIC CONTENT,
BUT IT IS A PART OF SEMANTIC CONTENT
Reply to Clapin on Representation-Mediation
Arthur B. Markman
Department of Psychology
University of Texas
Austin, TX 78712
http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/FACULTY/Markman/index.html
Eric Dietrich
PACCS Program
Binghamton University
Binghamton, NY
http://www.binghamton.edu/philosophy/home/faculty/index.htm
markman@psy.utexas.edu
dietrich@binghamton.edu
Abstract
Clapin writes that our definition of mediating states
requires that their semantic, representational contents be their
informational contents. This is not correct. We discuss the
distinction that makes semantic (representational) content more
than informational content. However, we do have the problem Clapin
attributes to us, namely, the problem that the informational source
of mediating states must exist. We discuss some solutions to this
problem, and tentatively endorse the one that leaves the
probabilities equal to one, but changes what the probabilities are
about.
Keywords
compositionality, computation, connectionism, discrete
states, dynamic Systems, explanation, information, meaning,
mediating states, representation, rules, semantic Content symbols
References