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Full Idea
An argument for conceptual priority is greater simplicity in explanation.
Gist of Idea
An argument for conceptual priority is greater simplicity in explanation
Source
Michael Dummett (Frege philosophy of mathematics [1991], Ch.12)
Book Ref
Dummett,Michael: 'Frege: philosophy of mathematics' [Duckworth 1991], p.145
A Reaction
One might still have to decide priority between two equally simple (or complex) concepts. I begin to wonder whether 'priority' has any other than an instrumental meaning (according to which direction you wish to travel - is London before Edinburgh?).
| 10954 | It is unclear whether acute angles are prior to right angles, or fingers to men [Aristotle] |
| 9849 | Maybe a concept is 'prior' to another if it can be defined without the second concept [Dummett] |
| 9850 | An argument for conceptual priority is greater simplicity in explanation [Dummett] |
| 10746 | Conceptual priority is barely intelligible [Oliver] |