ABSTRACT
Cognitive ethology assumes a kind of commonsense theory of mind, which has been described as folk psychology. This essay discusses philosophical versions of this theory as they pertain to cognitive ethology and arguments against them such as Stephen Stich’s case against belief and the eliminative materialism of Patricia and Paul Churchland. It also comments on the work of Ruth Millikan who has used a biological notion of function in defense of a naturalistic theory of mind, which retains intentionality and the propositional attitudes of folk psychology. The case argued is that the philosophical issues about the nature of mind sampled here have a profound bearing on the prospects for cognitive ethology.
