Language, Thought and Consciousness: An Essay in Philosophical Psychology

Product Description
Do we think in natural language? Or is language only for communication? Much recent work in philosophy and cognitive science assumes the latter. In contrast, Peter Carruthers argues that much of human conscious thinking is conducted in the medium of natural language sentences. However, this does not commit him to any sort of Whorfian linguistic relativism, and the view is developed within a framework that is broadly nativist and modularist. His study will be essential reading for all those interested in the nature and significance of natural language, whether they come from philosophy, psychology or linguistics.
Review
"...an original and imaginative thesis that successfully challenges alternative, more dominant conceptions of the relation between thought and language and of the nature of consciousness. This book will provoke much thought in anyone who is interested in these issues." The Review of Metaphysics

"The argument is presented with convincing force and clarity, making this a work that all philosophers, cognitive scientists, and linguists working in the field must read." Choice

"...succeeds in articulating a fertile alternative program worthy of further development. The book is ambitious, well written...." Greg Jarrett, The Philosophical Review
Book Description
Do we think in natural language? Or is language only for communication? Much recent work in philosophy and cognitive science assumes the latter. In contrast, Peter Carruthers argues that much of human conscious thinking is conducted in the medium of natural language sentences. However, this does not commit him to any sort of Whorfian linguistic relativism, and the view is developed wit hin a framework that is broadly nativist and modularist. His study will be essential reading for all those interested in the nature and significance of natural language, whether they come from philosophy, psychology or linguistics.
About the Author
Peter Carruthers is Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at the University of Maryland College Park. He was until recently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, where he founded and directed the Hang Seng Centre for Cognitive Studies. He is the author of Language, Thought and Consciousness (Cambridge, 1996), Phenomenal Consciousness: A Naturalistic Theory (Cambridge, 2000), and (with George Botterill) of The Philosophy of Psychology (Cambridge, 1999). He co-edited the previous three Hang Seng Centre volumes, Theories of Theories of Mind (Cambridge, 1996), Language and Thought (Cambridge, 1998) and Evolution and the Human Mind (Cambridge, 2000).