DOI: 10.1111/mila.12503 ISSN: 0268-1064
Is the wandering mind a planning mind?
Frederik Tollerup Junker, Thor Grünbaum- Linguistics and Language
- Philosophy
- Language and Linguistics
Recent studies on mind‐wandering reveal its potential role in goal exploration and planning future actions. How to understand these explorative functions and their impact on planning remains unclear. Given certain conceptions of intentions and beliefs, the explorative functions of mind‐wandering could lead to regular reconsideration of one's intentions. However, this would be in tension with the stability of intentions central to rational planning agency. We analyze the potential issue of excessive reconsideration caused by mind‐wandering. Our response resolves this tension, presenting a model that aligns the roles of mind‐wandering in planning with empirical evidence and the sustained stability of intentions.