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Full Idea
We have no prior reason to suppose that philosophically significant concepts have interesting analyses into necessary and sufficient conditions.
Gist of Idea
We can't presume that all interesting concepts can be analysed
Source
Timothy Williamson (Review of Bob Hale's 'Abstract Objects' [1988])
Book Ref
-: 'Mind' [-], p.487
A Reaction
We might think that they are either analysable or primitive, and that failure of analysis invites us to take a concept as primitive. But maybe God can analyse it and we can't.
9183 | Platonism claims that some true assertions have singular terms denoting abstractions, so abstractions exist [Williamson] |
9184 | We can't presume that all interesting concepts can be analysed [Williamson] |