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Single Idea 17969

[filed under theme 18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / c. Classical concepts ]

Full Idea

The early psychological approaches to concepts took a definitional approach. ...but this view does not have any way of distinguishing typical and atypical category members (...as when a trout is a typical fish and an eel an atypical one).

Gist of Idea

The classical definitional approach cannot distinguish typical and atypical category members

Source

Gregory L. Murphy (The Big Book of Concepts [2004], Ch. 2)

Book Ref

Murphy,Gregory L.: 'The Big Book of Concepts' [MIT 2004], p.12

A Reaction

[pp. 12 and 22] Eleanor Rosch in the 1970s is said to have largely killed off the classical view.

The 14 ideas with the same theme [concepts as necessary and sufficient conditions of groups]:

6985 Analysis is finding necessary and sufficient conditions by studying possible cases [Jackson]
17706 The essence of a concept is either its definition or its conceptual relations? [Mares]
17969 The classical definitional approach cannot distinguish typical and atypical category members [Murphy]
17970 Classical concepts follow classical logic, but concepts in real life don't work that way [Murphy]
17971 Classical concepts are transitive hierarchies, but actual categories may be intransitive [Murphy]
17972 The classical core is meant to be the real concept, but actually seems unimportant [Murphy]
17973 The theoretical and practical definitions for the classical view are very hard to find [Murphy]
11128 Classically, concepts give necessary and sufficient conditions for falling under them [Margolis/Laurence]
11129 The classical theory explains acquisition, categorization and reference [Margolis/Laurence]
11130 Typicality challenges the classical view; we see better fruit-prototypes in apples than in plums [Margolis/Laurence]
11131 It may be that our concepts (such as 'knowledge') have no definitional structure [Margolis/Laurence]
18590 Classical theory implies variety in processing times, but this does not generally occur [Machery]
18591 Classical theory can't explain facts like typical examples being categorised quicker [Machery]
18583 Many categories don't seem to have a definition [Machery]