more from Chris Swoyer

Single Idea 10400

[catalogued under 8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 4. Concept Nominalism]

Full Idea

Conceptualists urge that words like 'honesty', which might seem to refer to properties, really refer to concepts. A few contemporary philosophers have defended conceptualism, and recent empirical work bears on it, but the view is no longer common.

Gist of Idea

Conceptualism says words like 'honesty' refer to concepts, not to properties

Source

Chris Swoyer (Properties [2000], 1.1)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.3


A Reaction

..and that's all Swoyer says about this very interesting view! He only cites Cocchiarella 1986 Ch.3. The view leaves a lot of work to be done in explaining how nature is, and how our concepts connect to it, and arise in response to it.