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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 2. Origin of Concepts / a. Origin of concepts

[general ideas on the origin of mental concepts]

11 ideas
Concepts are ordered, and show eternal possibilities, deriving from God [Leibniz, by Arthur,R]
Some concepts can be made a priori, which are general thoughts of objects, like quantity or cause [Kant]
Whatever their origin, concepts survive by being useful [Nietzsche]
We use concepts to master our fears; saying 'death' releases us from confronting it [Cioran]
We reach concepts by clarification, or by definition, or by habitual experience [Price,HH]
The mind does not lift concepts from experience; it creates them, and then applies them [Geach]
The mind conceptualizes objects; yet objects impinge upon the mind [Wiggins]
Nobody knows how concepts are acquired [Fodor]
The concept 'red' is tied to what actually individuates red things [Peacocke]
Concepts and generalisations result from brain 'global mapping' by 'reentry' [Edelman/Tononi, by Searle]
Concepts arise when the brain maps its own activities [Edelman/Tononi]