Abstract

Interpretation is the process of ascribing propositional attitudes to an individual on the basis of what she says and does. Interpretationism is the view that we can gain an understanding of the nature of the mental by reflecting on the nature of interpretation. The chapter examines the arguments for and against holding that the interpretation of propositional attitudes is inseparable from the interpretation of language, that being interpretable as possessing a given attitude is a necessary condition for possessing it, and that being interpretable as possessing an attitude is sufficient for possessing it. And it discusses whether interpretationists should claim that being interpretable as having thoughts is actually constitutive of having thoughts.