@misc{Lexicon of Arguments, title = {Quotation from: Lexicon of Arguments – Concepts - Ed. Martin Schulz, 29 Mar 2024}, author = {Dennett,Daniel}, subject = {Essence}, note = {I 276 Essence/Nature/Dennett: Nothing that is so complicated that it is interesting can have an essence. ((s) Reason: if it consists of several parts, it can only have developed gradually, while discarding useless parts.) Therefore, it was not essential at any time. Of course, not even at the present time. I 565 Example Vending Machine: A beverage vending machine that recognizes quarter dollar coins is later shipped to Brazil, where it accepts certain local coins. Thesis: The environment creates the meaning. Meaning/function/evolution/Dennett: the importance is how the function at the moment of their creation is still nothing definite! Example: a zoo of frogs exclusively with flying dummies, but adequate replacement diet for frogs: What do the eyes tell the brain then? I 569 DennettVsEssentialism: Essentialism has dissolved the vending machine into nothingness. Similarly: E.g. frog: would have tried to catch food pellets in the wild just the same if they had crossed his path. Disjunction: in some ways "fly or pellets" is a natural kind of frogs. They do not naturally make a distinction between pelkets and flys. On the other hand, disjunction is not a natural kind: it does not occur in nature. >Disjunction, >Essentialism.}, note = { Dennett I D. Dennett Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, New York 1995 German Edition: Darwins gefährliches Erbe Hamburg 1997 Dennett II D. Dennett Kinds of Minds, New York 1996 German Edition: Spielarten des Geistes Gütersloh 1999 Dennett III Daniel Dennett "COG: Steps towards consciousness in robots" In Bewusstein, Thomas Metzinger, Paderborn/München/Wien/Zürich 1996 Dennett IV Daniel Dennett "Animal Consciousness. What Matters and Why?", in: D. C. Dennett, Brainchildren. Essays on Designing Minds, Cambridge/MA 1998, pp. 337-350 In Der Geist der Tiere, D Perler/M. Wild, Frankfurt/M. 2005 }, file = {http://philosophy-science-humanities-controversies.com/listview-details.php?id=284734} url = {http://philosophy-science-humanities-controversies.com/listview-details.php?id=284734} }