2011 Theses Doctoral

The Teleological Theory of Representation

Campitelli, Stephen Anthony

This dissertation argues for a teleological theory of representations on the grounds that it provides a better account of explanation in psychology and cognitive science than its main competitor, non-teleological functionalism. Grounds for evaluating competing models of explanation are presented and several recent accounts of psychological explanation are analyzed and evaluated. An inclusive model, which incorporates both teleological and non-teleological features, is developed.