more from Peter Geach

Single Idea 10733

[catalogued under 18. Thought / E. Abstraction / 8. Abstractionism Critique]

Full Idea

The abstractionist cannot give a logically coherent account of the features that are supposed to be reached by discriminative attention, corresponding to the words 'some' and 'not'.

Gist of Idea

The abstractionist cannot explain 'some' and 'not'

Source

Peter Geach (Abstraction Reconsidered [1983], p.167)

Book Reference

'Knowledge and Mind', ed/tr. Ginet,C/Shoemaker,S [OUP 1983], p.167


A Reaction

I understand 'some' in terms of mereology, because that connects to experience, and 'not' I take to derive more from psychological experience than from the physical world, building on thwarted expectation, which even animals experience.