Single Idea 13125

[catalogued under 7. Existence / E. Categories / 1. Categories]

Full Idea

It is usually assumed of ontological categories that they can explain why certain substitutions make a statement false ('prime' for 'odd'), while others make it meaningless ('sweet' for 'odd', of numbers).

Gist of Idea

Categories are held to explain why some substitutions give falsehood, and others meaninglessness

Source

Jan Westerhoff (Ontological Categories [2005], §05)

Book Reference

Westerhoff,Jan: 'Ontological Categories' [OUP 2005], p.24


A Reaction

So there is a strong link between big ontological questions, and Ryle's famous identification of the 'category mistake'. The phenomenon of the category mistake is undeniable, and should make us sympathetic to the idea of categories.