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