Abstract

Numerous theories of intentionality have been proposed which seek to account for the aboutness of signs, symbols, and representations. Typically such theories attempt to provide a naturalistic account of intentionality, and such theories are often offered for supposed mental representations which are thought to have natural, underived intentionality. While theories of intentionality have problems, it is thought that some such theory must work, at least in principle. ;I offer an alternative adverbial view of signs, symbols, and representations which, if successful, allows us to avoid the problems which theories of intentionality aim to solve. According to an adverbial view of signs, talk or thought about signs, symbols, or representations does not refer to token physical objects which are signs or---in what amounts to the same thing---which have semantic or intentional properties. Rather, talk/thought about signs should be understood adverbially, such that some physical object or other is required to communicate signly, but no physical object is, itself, a sign-object. ;The argument proceeds in three stages. In Part 1, the ontology of signs and utterances is considered. It is argued that the common distinction between natural and conventional intentionality is flawed, since the very individuation of signs can be seen as dependent upon an utterance-act which produces it. It is further argued that the very distinction between sign-objects and utterance-acts is problematic; only in extreme cases is there a neat distinction to be made. ;In Part 2, an adverbial view of signs is explicitly introduced and developed. Potential objections are responded to in the course of specifying how an adverbial view understands syntax and the individuation of signs. ;In Part 3, it is argued that, if we adopt an adverbial view and understand it in light of the considerations of Part 1, the standard problems of intentionality can be seen as an artifact of a contingent, non-adverbial view of signs, symbols, and representations. By adopting an adverbial view and refusing to reify or objectify signs, we can avoid the purported problems of intentionality in an intellectually satisfying way.