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Varieties of Natural Concepts

Hampton, J. A. ORCID: 0000-0002-0363-8232 (2024). Varieties of Natural Concepts. Philosophia, 52(4), pp. 883-897. doi: 10.1007/s11406-024-00759-9

Abstract

The concepts to be considered in this chapter are those that occur in everyday common human thought and language – the “natural history” of concepts in use. While many may appear to be constituted by similarity relations, which make them suitable for modelling in conceptual spaces for example, other concepts in everyday use may be differently constituted. These concepts include abstract concepts, essentialist kinds, natural kinds, and logical or mathematical concepts. I discuss the different sources, uses and epistemological bases of these different forms of concept, and propose a three-level hierarchy of concepts based on their sources of validation.

Publication Type: Article
Additional Information: This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-024-00759-9
Publisher Keywords: Concepts, Prototypes, Externalism, Essentialism
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Departments: School of Health & Psychological Sciences
School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Psychology
SWORD Depositor:
[thumbnail of Varieties of Natural Concepts.pdf] Text - Accepted Version
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