Single Idea 7643

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 6. Inference in Perception]

Full Idea

Do we really understand the proposal that we have as many colour concepts as there are shades colour that we can sensibly discriminate?

Gist of Idea

We have far fewer colour concepts than we have discriminations of colour

Source

Gareth Evans (The Varieties of Reference [1980], 7.5)

Book Reference

Evans,Gareth: 'The Varieties of Reference' [OUP 2002], p.229


A Reaction

This is the argument (rejected by McDowell) that experience cannot be conceptual because experience is too rich. We should not confuse lack of concepts with lack of words. I may have a concept of a colour between two shades, but no word for it.