Abstract

I propose a version of teleosemantics for simple animal representations that combines Millikan’s suggestion that they represent the most crucial “normal conditions” required for them to bring about their beneficial behavioral effects with Neander’s suggestion that they represent their “normal causes”. The content of a simple representation is the most crucial among the normal conditions responsible for its tokens having beneficial behavioral effects that also causes such tokens. I argue that this version delivers more plausible contents than other versions of teleosemantics. Frogs’ prey detectors represent the animals they prey on rather than nutritious or small moving things.