Single Idea 17728

[catalogued under 7. Existence / E. Categories / 4. Category Realism]

Full Idea

Concepts which are indispensably useful for categorising, understanding, explaining, and predicting our sensory input are likely to be ones which map the structure of that input well.

Gist of Idea

The concepts we have to use for categorising are ones which map the real world well

Source

Carrie Jenkins (Grounding Concepts [2008], 4.6)

Book Reference

Jenkins,Carrie: 'Grounding Concepts' [OUP 2008], p.144


A Reaction

Anti-realists about classification seem to think that we just invent an array of concepts, and then start classifying with them. The truth seems to be that the actual classes of worldly thing have generated our concepts.