The Intentional Stance

How are we able to understand each other in our daily interactions? Through the use of such “folk” concepts as belief, desire, intention, and expectation, Daniel Dennett asserts in this first full-scale presentation of a theory of intentionality that he has been developing for almost twenty years. We adopt a stance, a predictive strategy of interpretation that presupposes the rationality of the people – or other entities – we are hoping to understand and predict.

The 10 essays included here represent the vanguard of Dennett’s thought, push his theories into surprising new territory, and reveal fresh lines of inquiry into fundamental issues in psychology, artificial intelligence, and evolutionary theory as well as traditional issues in the philosophy of mind.

“Dennett’s essays are vivid, witty and admirably provocative-”
– P. N. Johnson-Laird, The London Review of Books

“This is Dennett in action: reflecting, joking, clarifying, criticizing – and always stimulating… Anyone interested in the philosophy of mind will find both interest and excitement in these essays.”
– Margaret Boden, Sussex University

Daniel C. Dennett is Distinguished Arts and Sciences Professor at Tufts University and the author of Brainstorms and Elbow Room.