Can a Theory of Content Rely on Selected Effect Functions? Response to Christie, Brusse, et al.

In the target article, Christie, Brusse, et al. argue that selected effect functions do not,
in general, explain why a trait exists in a population and, therefore, theories of
representational content should not rely on selected effect functions. This response
focuses on the claim about functions-for-representation. The role of evolutionary
functions in a theory of content is to pick out outcomes that have been
systematically stabilized by natural selection. Correctness conditions are conditions
involved in explaining how that happened. Selected effect functions can play that
role in the complex equilibria that Christie, Brusse, et al. identify. Non-equilibrium
cases are also discussed.