Sharing Thoughts : Philosophical Perspectives on Intersubjectivity and Communication

Are there really thoughts all of us share and think? Or is intersubjective thought more a matter of thinking thoughts that are suitably related or coordinated with one another? The original and rich essays in Sharing Thoughts delve into these often overlooked questions to shed light on the profound complexities of our interconnected minds.

Philosophical work on the nature of thought has, until recently, focused primarily on what it is for an individual to think, leaving aside important questions about the intersubjective dimension of thought. For example: In what sense, if any, can thoughts really be shared? Is there a shareability requirement on successful communication, disagreement, or the transmission of knowledge? Do particular types of thought such as those based on perception or self-location raise distinctive challenges to their shareability? More generally, how should we understand the communication and coordination of our thoughts in exchanges with others? Are there distinctive rationality constraints governing the intersubjective aspects of thought? Sharing Thoughts brings together original work by established and emerging philosophers to address these and related foundational issues, while also paying attention to more specific questions such as the interplay between the intersubjectivity of thought and the internalism/externalism debate, the elucidation of first-person or egocentric thought, our capacity for joint thinking, the conditions for knowledge transmission and collective inquiry, the expression of thought in music, and more.