The Bactra Review Brainchildren
In particular, in addition to what I've already said
about multiple personality, I'm not as convinced as Dennett seems to be
that language is a precondition of consciousness. I rather suspect that our
brains, and those of our hominid ancestors, have commanding heights quite
adequate for imposing serial consciousness on a parallel brain, even if the
brain isn't infected with language, but is otherwise normal. Resolving such
matters is but one of the reasons why the return of the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II cannot be too ardently desired.
---Also, I confess myself quite puzzled by his avowal of the ``futility of
correspondence theories of truth'' (p. 118), since much of his own theorizing
depends on representations corresponding (or failing to correspond) to
realities in a pretty strong sense. (But then, I've never understood why
people who reject correspondence still ask for directions when lost or read
cook-books.)