Parsimony and Models of Animal Minds

Dennett’s (1971, 1987) ideas about the intentional stance have elicited different reactions from philosophers and scientists. Philosophers have focused on Dennett’s alleged anti-realism about the mental while scientists have focused on his three-way distinction among zero-order, first-order, and second-order intentionality. For most philosophers, anti-realism (at least concerning the mental states of human beings) is a nono; for most cognitive scientists, the three-way distinction is useful. This contrasting reaction is typical of a larger pattern: philosophers are more inclined to cite work with which they disagree while scientists are more inclined to cite work on which they wish to build.