There is no such thing as intent. That's folk science you're describing.
Thoughts aren't about things, they are things.
“We refute (based on empirical evidence) claims that humans use linguistic representations to think.” Ev Fedorenko Language Lab MIT 2024
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7415918/
btw the levels of folk science inhabiting engineering is tsunami. the whole field needs to be taught how to deal with the contradictions in scientific practice and discourse to get out of the vortex you've built for our species.
Just because I'm on Hacker News doesn't mean I'm an "engineer". In fact, my education is in linguistics, so the idea that we don't use language to think isn't novel to me (or relevant here). However, saying "there is no such thing as intent" is very strange. I've given you an example of intentionality in action, are you saying people don't act to bring about their desires? You seem to be refuting your thesis that "there is no such thing as intent" yourself by, for example, talking about your ideas here or having a startup. Which, I'm assuming, is trying to achieve something. That's intent by definition.
You're a linguist and you don't understand the difference between intent, a proposed state in brains in cog-science and intentionality, an arbitrary externalization? I find that impossible to believe a linguist doesn't grasp that distinction. And no, there is no such thing as beliefs, desire, intent as separate or even conflated states in brains. Start with Stitch eg Folk Science to Cog Sci the case against belief, and end up with that Brain—Cogntion Behavior Problem link above from Buzsaki. Study before you reply.
Probably you're not really a linguist, you're in a sub-field like NLP, generative or construction, which is only linguistics coded for engineers.
This is amateur hour in HN.
- I am using "intent" and "intentionality" in their everyday manner, which, ironically, would've been clear to you if you paid attention to my intent, rather than the "words" that you seem to loathe so. From Dictionary.com: intent — the act or fact of meaning to do something; intentionality — the fact or quality of being done on purpose or with intent.
- It's great that you mention Stitch, because what I'm trying to tell you is directly related to his theory as presented in e.g. Mindreading. What he terms "desire detection mechanisms" are what I'm referring to as our ability to discern intent, which is how you're able to make sense of other people's actions (whether verbal or non-verbal).
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