Summary |
Inferential theories of concepts hold that they are individuated by reference to their relationships with other concepts. These may be causal, functional, computational, inferential, or associative. So a concept such as PLUS is individuated by the fact that it plays the appropriate role in inferences concerning addition, and a concept such as WATER is individuated by its reference to concepts such as CLEAR, DRINKABLE, and LIQUID. Localistic inferential theories hold that only a small number of these inferences are needed to individuate a concept; holistic inferential theories hold that a concept is individuated by many or all of the inferences that it can participate in. |