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Ideas for 'A Dictionary of Political Thought', 'Pragmatism - eight lectures' and 'Does Consciousness Exist?'

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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 3. Ontology of Concepts / b. Concepts as abilities
We return to experience with concepts, where they show us differences [James]
     Full Idea: Concepts for the pragmatist are things to come back into experience with, things to make us look for differences.
     From: William James (Pragmatism - eight lectures [1907], Lec 3)
     A reaction: That's good. I like both halves of this. Experience gives us the concepts, but then we 'come back' into experience equipped with them. Presumably animals can look for differences, but concepts enhance that hugely. Know the names of the flowers.