A Review of Recanati`s Mental Files

Abstract

In Mental Files, Recanati proposes a non-descriptivist approach to reference in terms of mental files, mental representations that play the role of Fregean mode of presentation. Recanati argues that we refer via mental files and that the reference of a file is determined relationally, rather than satisficationally; files are not to be equated to the information they contain, but typed by their function-to store information gained through certain epistemically rewarding relation to objects in the environment. I offer a critical overview of Recanati`s framework and raise two questions about the nature and workings of files.

在Mental Files一書中，Recanati以心智檔案提出一非描述論的進路來解釋指謂現象。心智檔案乃是一種心靈表徵，扮演著弗列格式的呈現模式的功能。Recanati主張，指涉皆是透過心智檔案：心智檔案的功能在於儲存我們經由某些知識上有益的關係所取得的關於事物的訊息。儘管心智檔案的分類與其儲存功能相關，但檔案不能被等同於其所儲存的訊息。心智檔案的指涉繫於其與所指事物之間的外部關係，並不是取決於檔案中內含的描述與所指之事物是否吻合。本文針對Recanati的理論提出批判性的介紹，並提出兩個難題。