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Single Idea 10746

[filed under theme 18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / i. Conceptual priority ]

Full Idea

I find the notion of conceptual priority barely intelligible.

Gist of Idea

Conceptual priority is barely intelligible

Source

Alex Oliver (The Metaphysics of Properties [1996], §19 n48)

Book Ref

-: 'Mind' [-], p.51

A Reaction

I don't think I agree, though there is a lot of vagueness and intuition involved, and not a lot of hard argument. Can you derive A from B, but not B from A? Is A inconceivable without B, but B conceivable without A?

The 4 ideas with the same theme [how concepts depend upon one another]:

10954 It is unclear whether acute angles are prior to right angles, or fingers to men [Aristotle]
9849 Maybe a concept is 'prior' to another if it can be defined without the second concept [Dummett]
9850 An argument for conceptual priority is greater simplicity in explanation [Dummett]
10746 Conceptual priority is barely intelligible [Oliver]