Facchin, Marco (2026) Defusing the representation-hungry challenge. [Preprint]
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Abstract
The representation-hungry challenge is a popular challenge leveled against antirepresentational approaches to the mind sciences. It contends that any general antirepresentationalist conclusion is presently premature, as anti-representationalists have not yet offered a non-representational account of representation-hungry cognition; that is, cognition aimed at absent or abstract targets. Anti-representationalist tried to face this challenge in a number of different ways, but these attempts failed to convince representationalists. Hence, the need for an alternative way to handle the challenge. Here, I
provide such an alternative: rather than facing the representation-hungry challenge, I will try
to defuse it, showing that it does arise in any meaningful form. I’ll do so by arguing that the challenge hinges on a presupposition that is factually false, and so that the challenge fails to arise. Additionally, I will argue that even if the challenge were to arise, it won’t be a serious
challenge to anti-representationalism. For, given certain, widespread representationalists assumptions, must concede that anti-representationalists have already met the challenge, and that no additional explanatory work is required on their part.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Representations, Eliminativism, Representation-hungry argument, Antirepresentationalism | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Concepts and Representations General Issues > Philosophers of Science |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Marco Facchin | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 31 Mar 2026 12:52 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 31 Mar 2026 12:52 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 28836 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Concepts and Representations General Issues > Philosophers of Science |
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| Date: | 2026 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28836 |
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