Is language-of-thought the best game in the town we live?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Philosophy of Mind
• Linguistics

Background:

• The language-of-thought (LoT) hypothesis proposes a specific architecture for human cognition.
• It posits that thought is structured like a language with discrete constituents, role-filler independence, and logical operators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the empirical validity of the language-of-thought hypothesis in describing actual human cognition.
• To examine whether key properties of LoT align with observed cognitive processes.

Main Methods:

• Review and analysis of empirical evidence related to cognitive processes.
• Examination of three core properties of the LoT hypothesis: discrete constituents, role-filler independence, and logical operators.
• Comparison of LoT predictions with findings from cognitive psychology and linguistics.

Main Results:

• The LoT hypothesis's predictions show a poor fit with empirical data on human cognition.
• Evidence does not consistently support the presence of discrete constituents in thought.
• Role-filler independence and the application of logical operators in human thinking deviate from LoT expectations.

Conclusions:

• The language-of-thought hypothesis is an inadequate model for understanding the complexities of actual human cognition.
• Empirical reality of human thinking diverges significantly from the theoretical framework of LoT.
• Alternative models may be needed to capture the nuances of cognitive processes.