Individualism and Co-Operation in Thought: Co-Cognitivism as a Defence of Anti-Individualism

Abstract: Social anti-individualists suggest that the social environment enters into the individuation of psychological contents. This is defended by the now-famous arthritis thought experiment. Nevertheless, counterarguments have been proposed that aim to undermine the thought experiment. We identify two intuitions that underlie the thought experiment and evaluate five counterarguments in relation to these. It is argued that reflection on our shared mental deliberation can help us construct a theoretical framework that defends the thought experiment. One such framework, co-cognition, is presented and utilised to defeat the objections.