Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part One Semantic Acts and Intentions
- Part Two Languages and Semantic Acts
- Part Three Thoughts and Ideas
- 12 Thought
- 13 Sentences, Propositions, and Thoughts
- 14 The Constituency Thesis
- 15 Ideas or Concepts
- 16 The Possession of Concepts
- 17 The Acquisition of Concepts
- 18 The Association of Ideas
- 19 Objects, Images, and Conceptions
- 20 The Language of Thought Hypothesis
- Part Four Ideational Theories of Meaning
- References
- Index
16 - The Possession of Concepts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part One Semantic Acts and Intentions
- Part Two Languages and Semantic Acts
- Part Three Thoughts and Ideas
- 12 Thought
- 13 Sentences, Propositions, and Thoughts
- 14 The Constituency Thesis
- 15 Ideas or Concepts
- 16 The Possession of Concepts
- 17 The Acquisition of Concepts
- 18 The Association of Ideas
- 19 Objects, Images, and Conceptions
- 20 The Language of Thought Hypothesis
- Part Four Ideational Theories of Meaning
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter will define concept possession, and distinguish it from the stronger notions of understanding and mastery. To possess a concept, we will argue, is to have conceived it and remain capable of conceiving it. We will show that nominalist and information-semantic definitions of concept possession are wide of the mark, while recognition, knowledge, and inferentialist theories are too strong.
POSSESSING CONCEPTS
Fodor has remarked that “[i]t's a general truth that if you know what an X is, then you also know what it is to have an X,” and that this applies to concepts in particular (1998a: 2). There are many senses of “have” for which Fodor's generalization fails. A child may know what a baby is without yet knowing what it is to have a baby, and may know what a woman is without yet knowing what it is to have a woman. I believe that the having of concepts is a less obvious exception. I have defined concepts as parts of thoughts, but that does not tell us what it is to have a concept.
“Having” a belief is the same as believing the belief, and “having” a thought is the same as thinking it. To “have” an idea is to conceive it. Despite this pattern, having a concept, as this phrase is commonly used, must be distinguished from conceiving a concept. We have countless concepts that we are not currently conceiving. I have had the concept of neutrons since grade school.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Meaning, Expression and Thought , pp. 428 - 446Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002