Habit and Mind. On the Teleology of Mental Habits

Abstract

In the following pages we shall discuss the notion of habit in sight of its role in the constitution of meaning. We make use of Wittgenstein’s analysis of rule following to show the crucial role played by habits in the establishment of verbal meanings. Then, we show how habits can be established according to the Peircian model of abduction. The generalizing power of abduction (and habit) is explained in terms of teleological motivation, whose roots we expose by means of Husserl’s analyses on passive synthesis. Finally, we draw the conclusion that the notion of habit may lead to a “non-naturalistic naturalization” of mind, that is, a “naturalization” opposed to both objectivistic and reductionist accounts of mind.

Keywords

• teleology of habit
• meaning
• motivation
• Husserl
• Peirce