American philosopher who developed the intentional stance — attributing beliefs and desires to systems as a predictive strategy — and argued that consciousness, free will, and the self are useful illusions generated by the brain's narrative processing.
Intentional stance: we explain behavior by attributing rationality, beliefs, and desires — regardless of whether the system has these intrinsically; this stance is legitimately true. Consciousness Explained: qualia and the Cartesian theater are myths; consciousness is multiple drafts, not a unified experience. Breaking the Spell: religion is a natural phenomenon to be explained, not exempt from scientific scrutiny.
Discussing
Ask anything about Daniel Dennett — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.
Sign in to start a conversation.