Mental files

The aim of this lecture was to provide a general introduction to the theory of "   mental files" - - sketched out by various authors (Strawson and Perry in particular), and developed by the chairholder in two recent works - - while placing it in the context of the debates that have opposed, in the philosophy of language, two conceptions of content: that of Russell and that of Frege. The closure of the Collège de France due to the health crisis in spring 2020 prevented the last three sessions from taking place. In 2020-21, a second year of lectures will therefore be devoted to this theme, enabling us not only to restore the content of the sessions cancelled the previous year, but also to develop certain points that could not be addressed for lack of time.