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Concepts are a functional kind
1Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy. elisabetta.lalumera@unimib.it
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|June 30, 2010
Summary
This study challenges the elimination of "concept" from psychology, arguing concepts are a functional kind, not a natural kind. This view best explains empirical evidence, supporting traditional psychological theories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Theorists debate whether psychological concepts represent natural kinds.
- Eliminativist arguments propose removing 'concept' from scientific vocabulary due to its lack of natural kind status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critique Machery's eliminativist argument against the concept of 'concept'.
- To propose an alternative classification of concepts as a functional kind.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of Machery's arguments.
- Examination of empirical evidence related to concept representation.
- Theoretical argumentation for a functional kind approach to concepts.
Main Results:
- Machery's claim that concepts fail to denote a natural kind is contested.
- Concepts are best understood as a functional kind, aligning with empirical data.
- A functional kind classification offers a parsimonious explanation for psychological evidence.
Conclusions:
- The theoretical term 'concept' should be retained in psychology.
- Concepts function as a functional kind, not a natural kind.
- This perspective reconciles empirical findings with traditional psychological frameworks.
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