Ideas from 'Concepts:where cogn.science went wrong' by Jerry A. Fodor [1998], by Theme Structure
[found in 'Concepts: where cognitive science went wrong' by Fodor,Jerry A. [OUP 1998,0-19-823636-0]].
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2. Reason / D. Definition / 13. Against Definition
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12619
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We have no successful definitions, because they all use indefinable words
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7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 2. Types of Existence
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12620
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If 'exist' is ambiguous in 'chairs and numbers exist', that mirrors the difference between chairs and numbers
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8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 6. Dispositions / c. Dispositions as conditional
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12613
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Empiricists use dispositions reductively, as 'possibility of sensation' or 'possibility of experimental result'
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12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 2. Associationism
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12617
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Associationism can't explain how truth is preserved
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18. Thought / C. Content / 2. Ideas
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12615
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Mental representations are the old 'Ideas', but without images
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 2. Origin of Concepts / c. Nativist concepts
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6650
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Fodor is now less keen on the innateness of concepts [Lowe]
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 3. Ontology of Concepts / a. Concepts as representations
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12618
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It is essential to the concept CAT that it be satisfied by cats
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 3. Ontology of Concepts / b. Concepts as abilities
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12614
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I prefer psychological atomism - that concepts are independent of epistemic capacities
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / b. Analysis of concepts
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12621
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Definable concepts have constituents, which are necessary, individuate them, and demonstrate possession
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / d. Concepts as prototypes
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12622
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Many concepts lack prototypes, and complex prototypes aren't built from simple ones
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 4. Structure of Concepts / f. Theory theory of concepts
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12623
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The theory theory can't actually tell us what concepts are
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19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 2. Semantics
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12616
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English has no semantic theory, just associations between sentences and thoughts
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