Single Idea 7400

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 3. Representation]

Full Idea

Descartes argued (in 'The World') that just as words refer to objects, but they do not resemble them, in the same way, visual images or other sensory inputs relate to objects without depicting them.

Gist of Idea

Descartes said images can refer to objects without resembling them (as words do)

Source

report of René Descartes (works [1643]) by Richard Tuck - Hobbes

Book Reference

Tuck,Richard: 'Hobbes: a very short introduction' [OUP 2002], p.21


A Reaction

This strikes me as a rather significant and plausible claim, which might contain the germ of the idea of a language of thought. It is also the basis for the recent view that language is the best route to understanding the mind.