A Reply to Jerry Fodor on How the Mind Works

Abstract

Reply by the current author to the comments made by Jerry Fodor (see record 2005-01454-002) on the original article (see record 2003-02162-011). Fodor's reply to my review of "The Mind Doesn't Work That Way" (TMDTW) retains the problems I noted in the book itself. Foremost is his failure to show that the unsolved problems in computational cognitive science are fundamental anomalies-enigmas that are deeply inconsistent with all available explanatory principles, and call for abandoning the enterprise for something completely different-as opposed to mere challenges that will take ingenuity and hard work to solve. The failure comes from Fodor's exaggeration of the gap between the likely reach of computational theories and the powers of the human mind. The reply exemplifies an additional problem: at crucial junctures, Fodor refuses to offer arguments for his convictions, opting instead for peremptory sarcasm.