Single Idea 2605

[catalogued under 18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 4. Language of Thought]

Full Idea

Fodor concludes that every predicate that a brain could learn to use must have a translation into the computer language of that brain. So no "new" concepts can be acquired: all concepts are innate!

Gist of Idea

If everything uses mentalese, ALL concepts must be innate!

Source

Hilary Putnam (What is innate and why [1980], p.407)

Book Reference

'The Philosophy of Mind', ed/tr. Beakley,B /Ludlow P [MIT 1992], p.407


A Reaction

Some misunderstanding, surely? No one could be so daft as to think that everyone has an innate idea of an iPod. More basic innate building blocks for thought are quite plausible.