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Single Idea 18602

[filed under theme 7. Existence / E. Categories / 2. Categorisation ]

Full Idea

A to-be-classified object is considered a category member to the extent that its features were likely to have been generated by the category's causal laws.

Gist of Idea

A thing is classified if its features are likely to be generated by that category's causal laws

Source

Edouard Machery (Doing Without Concepts [2009], 4.4.4)

Book Ref

Machery,Edouard: 'Doing Without Concepts' [OUP 2009], p.106

A Reaction

[from Bob Rehder, psychologist, 2003] This is an account of categorisation which arises from the Theory Theory view of concepts, of which I am a fan. I love this idea, which slots neatly into the account I have been defending. Locke would like this.

The 17 ideas with the same theme [how the mind approaches putting things into categories]:

13775 We only succeed in cutting if we use appropriate tools, not if we approach it randomly [Plato]
16121 I revere anyone who can discern a single thing that encompasses many things [Plato]
13435 We can't categorise things by their real essences, because these are unknown [Locke]
12535 If we discovered real essences, we would still categorise things by the external appearance [Locke]
6160 Does Kant say the mind imposes categories, or that it restricts us to them? [Rowlands on Kant]
22649 Classification can only ever be for a particular purpose [James]
4048 Infant brains appear to have inbuilt ontological categories [Goldman]
8986 We should abandon classifying by pigeon-holes, and classify around paradigms [Sainsbury]
17376 We should aim for a classification which tells us as much as possible about the object [Dupré]
4913 Brain lesions can erase whole categories of perception, suggesting they are hard-wired [Carter,R]
15682 Even fairly simple animals make judgements based on categories [Gelman]
15691 Children accept real stable categories, with nonobvious potential that gives causal explanations [Gelman]
13131 The aim is that everything should belong in some ontological category or other [Westerhoff]
10494 Several words may label a category; one word can name several categories; some categories lack words [Ellen]
18573 For each category of objects (such as 'dog') an individual seems to have several concepts [Machery]
18602 A thing is classified if its features are likely to be generated by that category's causal laws [Machery]
18604 Are quick and slow categorisation the same process, or quite different? [Machery]