Five Puzzles for Externalism about Mental Content

Jason Ford
University of Minnesota, Duluth

In this paper, I offer five thought experiments (all variations on the thought experiments that originally motivated externalism about mental content) which reveal puzzling aspects of the externalist position. Not only are we uncertain about what the externalist should say about these cases, I contend that there are no unproblematic responses available. I then offer a brief diagnosis of what I believe to be the underlying tension between externalism and internalism, and an even briefer statement of how I think the conflict should be resolved.