more from this thinker     |     more from this text

Single Idea 18689

[filed under theme 18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / f. Theory theory of concepts ]

Full Idea

People tend to positively categorise items that are consistent with their knowledge and to exclude items that are inconsistent, sometimes even overruling purely empirical sources of information.

Gist of Idea

People categorise things consistent with their knowledge, even rejecting some good evidence

Source

Gregory L. Murphy (The Big Book of Concepts [2004], Ch. 6)

Book Ref

Murphy,Gregory L.: 'The Big Book of Concepts' [MIT 2004], p.173

A Reaction

The main rival to 'theory theory' is the purely empirical account of how concepts are acquired. This idea reports empirical research in favour of the theory theory (or 'knowledge') approach.

The 16 ideas with the same theme [concepts as components of our theories of reality]:

8791 The concept of 'green' involves a battery of other concepts [Sellars]
16511 A 'conception' of a horse is a full theory of what it is (and not just the 'concept') [Wiggins]
12623 The theory theory can't actually tell us what concepts are [Fodor]
9335 Concepts are constituted by their role in a group of propositions to which we are committed [Peacocke, by Greco]
15689 Theory-based concepts use rich models to show which similarities really matter [Gelman]
17978 We do not learn concepts in isolation, but as an integrated part of broader knowledge [Murphy]
18687 Concepts with familiar contents are easier to learn [Murphy]
18688 Some knowledge is involved in instant use of categories, other knowledge in explanations [Murphy]
18689 People categorise things consistent with their knowledge, even rejecting some good evidence [Murphy]
11137 The theory theory of concepts says they are parts of theories, defined by their roles [Margolis/Laurence]
11138 The theory theory is holistic, so how can people have identical concepts? [Margolis/Laurence]
18587 The theory account is sometimes labelled as 'knowledge' or 'explanation' in approach [Machery]
18600 Theory Theory says category concepts are knowledge stores explaining membership [Machery]
18601 Theory Theory says concepts are explanatory knowledge, and concepts form domains [Machery]
18607 Theory theorists rely on best explanation, rather than on similarities [Machery]
18608 If categorisation is not by similarity, it seems to rely on what properties things might have [Machery]