Mc Dowell Problem
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In Mind and World Mc Dowell is primarily concerned with the nature of the interaction of our spontaneity (i.e. our mental states to do with meaning, intentionality and normativity) and the world. In particular he wants to demonstrate how we can give a philosophical account of this interaction that doesn’t either leave us spinning in frictionless void (i.e. where the way the world is doesn’t has bearing on our spontaneity) or remove the freedom of our spontaneity by positing that we are “forced” into certain mental states simply by virtue of the way the world is (i.e. that we have some sort of “border” beliefs about the world that are forced upon us by the way the world is). In a slogan: we want freedom (to act) with friction (with the world).
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