Abstract
This article presents a detailed, novel account of the emergence of (the meaning of) empirical concepts. Acquiring experience and empirical concepts is shown to be the result of multifaceted, cognitive processes, which require both material realization and conceptual interpretation. Generally speaking, the meaning of empirical concepts consists of several distinct components, but it includes at least a structuring and an abstracting component. These two meaning components are abstract entities, which can be justifiably interpreted as real objects. On this basis, I address the subject of emergence. The primary claim is that the abstracting meaning component (but not the structuring one) emerges from its underlying empirical processes: it both depends on and transcends these processes. This claim is expounded by discussing relevant similarities and dissimilarities between the emergence of abstract meanings and a range of central features of emergence prominent in recent debates on this topic. The conception of empirical concepts with emergent abstracting meaning components involves an interpretation that avoids the problematic extremes of both empiricism and Platonism.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 8 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-23 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Global Philosophy |
Volume | 33 |
Early online date | 24 Jan 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2023.
Funding
Luctor et emergo (I struggle and emerge/surface) is the motto of the very watery Dutch province of Zeeland, the Netherlands, where I grew up. I hope that not merely its first but also its second part applies to my account of the complicated subjects discussed in this article. If so, the surfacing of this article is also due to helpful comments on its earlier drafts by Lieven Decock, Sebastian De Haro, Christian Krijnen, David Ludwig and Ken Westphal. I would also like to acknowledge feedback from a referee of this journal and from the members of the research group on philosophy of science and technology at the Department of Philosophy of VU University Amsterdam.
Funders | Funder number |
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Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
Keywords
- Abstract but real objects
- Emergence of the abstracting meaning components
- Empirical processes and concepts
- Structuring and abstracting meaning components