Combining Texts

Ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'A Priori' and 'On Sense and Reference'

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3 ideas

18. Thought / D. Concepts / 2. Origin of Concepts / b. Empirical concepts
Aristotelian justification uses concepts abstracted from experience [Mares]
     Full Idea: Aristotelian justification is the process of reasoning using concepts that are abstracted from experience (rather than, say, concepts that are innate or those that we associate with the meanings of words).
     From: Edwin D. Mares (A Priori [2011], 08.1)
     A reaction: See Carrie Jenkins for a full theory along these lines (though she doesn't mention Aristotle). This is definitely my preferred view of concepts.
18. Thought / D. Concepts / 3. Ontology of Concepts / c. Fregean concepts
'The concept "horse"' denotes a concept, yet seems also to denote an object [Frege, by McGee]
     Full Idea: The phrase 'the concept "horse"' can be the subject of a sentence, and ought to denote an object. But it clearly denotes the concept "horse". Yet Fregean concepts are said to be 'incomplete' objects, which led to confusion.
     From: report of Gottlob Frege (On Sense and Reference [1892]) by Vann McGee - Logical Consequence 4
     A reaction: This is the notorious 'concept "horse"' problem, which was bad news for Frege's idea of a concept.
18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / c. Classical concepts
The essence of a concept is either its definition or its conceptual relations? [Mares]
     Full Idea: In the 'classical theory' a concept includes in it those concepts that define it. ...In the 'theory theory' view the content of a concept is determined by its relationship to other concepts.
     From: Edwin D. Mares (A Priori [2011], 03.10)
     A reaction: Neither of these seem to give an intrinsic account of a concept, or any account of how the whole business gets off the ground.