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Full Idea
Egocentric conceptions of space employ a frame of reference that is focused on oneself; ...geocentric conceptions of space, by contrast, employ a frame of reference that is centred on the earth.
Gist of Idea
Some people centre space on themselves; others centre space on the earth
Source
Tim Bayne (Thought: a very short introduction [2013], Ch.5)
Book Ref
Bayne,Tim: 'Thought: a very short introduction' [OUP 2013], p.64
A Reaction
Famously, Europeans nearly always employ the egocentric conception, but many other cultures are geocentric. Thus the salt cellar is either 'to my left' or 'to the west'. In the latter view, everyone always knows their orientation (even indoors?).
| 6712 | For Locke, abstract ideas are our main superiority of understanding over animals [Locke, by Berkeley] |
| 23656 | The structure of languages reveals a uniformity in basic human opinions [Reid] |
| 6393 | A creature doesn't think unless it interprets another's speech [Davidson] |
| 18537 | Linguistic thought is just as imagistic as non-linguistic thought [Heil] |
| 18538 | Non-conscious thought may be unlike conscious thought [Heil] |
| 17768 | Perception reveals what animals think, but humans can disengage thought from perception [Bayne] |
| 17769 | Some people centre space on themselves; others centre space on the earth [Bayne] |