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Full Idea
Infant behaviour implies inbuilt ontological categories of thing, place, event, path, action, sound, manner, amount and number. ...There is an algebra of relationships between them.
Clarification
'Ontology' is a theory about what exists
Gist of Idea
Infant brains appear to have inbuilt ontological categories
Source
Alvin I. Goldman (Phil Applications of Cognitive Science [1993], p.109)
Book Ref
Goldman,Alvin I.: 'Philosophical Applications of Cognitive Science' [Westview 1993], p.109
A Reaction
Interesting. We would expect the categories in infant brains to have instrumental value, but we don't have to accept them as true. Adults (even Aristotle) are big infants.
| 4047 | Gestalt psychology proposes inbuilt proximity, similarity, smoothness and closure principles [Goldman] |
| 4048 | Infant brains appear to have inbuilt ontological categories [Goldman] |
| 4049 | The way in which colour experiences are evoked is physically odd and unpredictable [Goldman] |
| 4044 | Rat behaviour reveals a considerable ability to count [Goldman] |
| 4045 | Children may have three innate principles which enable them to learn to count [Goldman] |
| 4043 | Elephants can be correctly identified from as few as three primitive shapes [Goldman] |