Minimal Minds

(Huebner, Minimal Minds)

Argument : 
Non-living beings been falsely given the attribute of intentionality
eg. "If the HIV virus wants to resist AZT, it needs to make a specific mutation..."
Virus - packet of DNA/RNA encased in protein, unlikely to possess representational capacity necessary for being in cognitive states / carrying out cognitive processes

Problems addressing studies in minimal minds: 
> Ascribed intentionality 
> ungrounded anthropomorphic assertions
> Idiosyncratic expression of unjustified theories
> There is little consensus about the precise role played by language in cognition 


Minimal conditions that need to be fulfilled for an organism to be capable of cognition: 

> CHALLENGES LINGUISTIC CAPACITY
	- Descartes : Language is necessary for cognition
	- Huebner : Invertebrates with genuine cognitive capacity have cognitive processes 
	            that are based on computations involving non-linguistic representations. 		    Minimal minds dont have 'beliefs' and 'desires' the way humans do. 			    Minimal minds (like social insect colonies) express collective mental                       		    states through collective behaviour

> DO INTVERTEBRATES HAVE MEMORY OF PAIN - In what respect can an invertebrate be in mental states or carry out mental processes that are enough like ours to justify the claiming that it has a mind
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