A Theory of Understanding: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives

by David Chart

Overview

This title was first published in 2000. Philosophers have been greatly concerned with the nature of explanation, but no account has been fully satisfactory within science or plausible in the wider world. The author asserts that this is due to a misplaced focus and that instead of focusing on explanation, philosophers should consider understanding. This work outlines his theory and defends it against some objections. Attempts to understand understanding can become self-referential, but the book is intended to enable readers to build a good mental model of the author's theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138737129
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/11/2019
Series:	Routledge Revivals
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	5.81(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

David Chart is a researcher in the philosophy of science and medicine at King’s College, London, UK.

Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction; Explanation: a poor foundation; Understanding and simulation; Mental models; Mental models in action; Empirical issues; Explanation rebuilt; Metaphysical matters; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

’Clearly written, this book makes a very useful contribution on an important issue; whilst the general issue of explanation has been widely discussed, Chart's approach is fresh and developed in a creative way.’ Professor Peter Lipton, Department of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, UK

From the Publisher

Arguing that cognitive psychology holds the answers to how the mind works rather than conventional approaches to the philosophy of explanation, Chart (philosophy of science and medicine, King's College, London) theorizes that we understand things by building mental models to simulate them. Ergo, the better our mental models, the better our understanding. This thinker posits that linking models built on the basis of words and perception can be extended to a theory of meaning and reference that bests competing accounts, even in regard to metaphysics (which actually represents thinking about how we think). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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