Single Idea 11139

[catalogued under 18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / g. Conceptual atomism]

Full Idea

According to conceptual atomism, lexical concepts have no semantic structure, and the content of a concept isn't determined by its relation to other concepts but by its relations to the world.

Gist of Idea

Maybe concepts have no structure, and determined by relations to the world, not to other concepts

Source

E Margolis/S Laurence (Concepts [2009], 2.4)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.10


A Reaction

[They cite Fodor 1998 and Millikan 2000] I like the sound of that, because I take the creation of concepts to be (in the first instance) a response to the world, not a response to other concepts.