@article{ART001772357},
author={Kim Seonghwan},
title={Descartes and Animal Language},
journal={Philosophical Investigation},
issn={1598-7213},
year={2013},
volume={33},
pages={207-234},
doi={10.33156/philos.2013.33..008}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kim Seonghwan
TI - Descartes and Animal Language
JO - Philosophical Investigation
PY - 2013
VL - 33
IS - null
PB - Institute of philosophy in Chung-Ang Univ.
SP - 207
EP - 234
SN - 1598-7213
AB - I reconstruct Descartes’ view on animal language using his work, The Passions of the Soul and his letters. According to Descartes, a magpie or a parrot can have the nonconscious passions and express them with human words to man by training. Descartes distinguishes the passions as the nonconscious physiological reaction from the consciousness of them by the soul and gives us a foundation of permitting animals the passions and the limited expressions of them by utterance. I introduce an achievement of research on animal cognition which challenges Descartes and explain a contemporary philosophical debate on animal language. Pepperberg teaches English to an African gray parrot, Alex and states that his speaking is based on the consciousness and understanding of human words. But Chomsky insists that parrots’ utterance is poor compared with human speaking as human flying is compared with birds’. I attempt to search for how Descartes responds to this debate if he is alive. I argue that he does by making a distinction between the ability of representing and the ability of language and this distinction is still valid in the contemporary debate on animal language.
KW - Descartes;Animal Language;Animal Spirits;Pineal Gland;Pepperberg;Chomsky
DO - 10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
ER -
Kim Seonghwan. (2013). Descartes and Animal Language. Philosophical Investigation, 33, 207-234.
Kim Seonghwan. 2013, "Descartes and Animal Language", Philosophical Investigation, vol.33, pp.207-234. Available from: doi:10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
Kim Seonghwan "Descartes and Animal Language" Philosophical Investigation 33 pp.207-234 (2013) : 207.
Kim Seonghwan. Descartes and Animal Language. 2013; 33 207-234. Available from: doi:10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
Kim Seonghwan. "Descartes and Animal Language" Philosophical Investigation 33(2013) : 207-234.doi: 10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
Kim Seonghwan. Descartes and Animal Language. Philosophical Investigation, 33, 207-234. doi: 10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
Kim Seonghwan. Descartes and Animal Language. Philosophical Investigation. 2013; 33 207-234. doi: 10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
Kim Seonghwan. Descartes and Animal Language. 2013; 33 207-234. Available from: doi:10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
Kim Seonghwan. "Descartes and Animal Language" Philosophical Investigation 33(2013) : 207-234.doi: 10.33156/philos.2013.33..008
