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Single Idea 12626

[filed under theme 18. Thought / D. Concepts / 3. Ontology of Concepts / b. Concepts as abilities ]

Full Idea

Cartesians think that concept individuation is prior, in order of analysis, to concept possession.

Gist of Idea

Cartesians put concept individuation before concept possession

Source

Jerry A. Fodor (LOT 2 [2008], Ch.12)

Book Ref

Fodor,Jerry A.: 'LOT 2: the Language of Thought Revisited' [OUP 2008], p.12


A Reaction

Peacocke is someone who seems to put possession first, to the point where individuation is thereby achieved. The background influence there is Wittgenstein. I think I am more with Fodor, that concepts are entities, which need to be understood.


The 18 ideas with the same theme [concepts as abilities to believe, decide and reason]:

A 'conception', the rational implication of a word, lies in its bearing upon the conduct of life [Peirce]
We return to experience with concepts, where they show us differences [James]
Possessing a concept is knowing how to go on [Wittgenstein, by Peacocke]
Concepts direct our interests and investigations, and express those interests [Wittgenstein]
Man learns the concept of the past by remembering [Wittgenstein]
For abstractionists, concepts are capacities to recognise recurrent features of the world [Geach]
Concepts are (at least in part) abilities and not occurrences [Putnam]
Concepts have a 'Generality Constraint', that we must know how predicates apply to them [Evans, by Peacocke]
I prefer psychological atomism - that concepts are independent of epistemic capacities [Fodor]
Are concepts best seen as capacities? [Fodor]
For Pragmatists having a concept means being able to do something [Fodor]
In the information view, concepts are potentials for making distinctions [Fodor]
Cartesians put concept individuation before concept possession [Fodor]
Possessing a concept is being able to make judgements which use it [Peacocke]
A concept is just what it is to possess that concept [Peacocke]
Employing a concept isn't decided by introspection, but by making judgements using it [Peacocke]
Maybe the concept CAT is just the ability to discriminate and infer about cats [Margolis/Laurence]
The abilities view cannot explain the productivity of thought, or mental processes [Margolis/Laurence]