Group:
natural language
Topic:
abstraction
Topic:
dictionary for natural language
Topic:
formal methods and languages
Topic:
language and life as a game
Topic:
meaning of words
Topic:
meaning without reference
Topic:
natural language as communication
Topic:
philosophy of mind
Topic:
private language argument for skepticism about meaning
Topic:
sentences, propositions, and truth
Topic:
words in natural languages
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Summary
Abstraction is part of the fabric of our thought. As Woozley writes: "Whatever we see ... we see as a something--that is, as an object of a certain kind, as having certain qualities, and as standing in certain relations to other objects [Encycl. Philosopy, Universals]. As Strawson notes, every individual is an instance of something general.
This would make language itself a classification of the world by what works, what "fits nature at its causal joints".
We can also see subjects and predicates in language being about particulars and universals in the world. (cbb 4/94)
Subtopic: concepts for classifying nature 
| Quote: language is a classification of the world into concepts for modeling and manipulation [»engeDC_1963]
| | Quote: concepts represent the complex of our experiences; no other justification [»einsA_1956, OK]
| | Quote: it is rational to redefine notions like heat to their causes; better control of reality, and fits nature at its causal joints [»searJR_1992]
| | Quote: concepts should fit nature at its causal joints
| | Quote: Hopi call insect, airplane and aviator the same; but Eskimos have many words for snow [»kentW_1978]
| | Quote: even though Dani has only two basic color categories, the primary color categories are psychologically real for Dani speakers [»lakoG_1987]
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Subtopic: prototypes
| Quote: the focal colors serve as prototypes or cognitive reference points for a category; other physical categories have prototypes
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Subtopic: formalism
| Quote: use a small vocabulary for formal methods; easier to understand though longer, more abstract, little implementation bias; e.g., Hoare's CSP [»boweJP4_1995]
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Subtopic: subject and predicate as particular and universal
| Quote: subjects and predicates in language correspond to particulars and universals in reality; long philosophical tradition [»martAP_1990]
| | Quote: subject/predicate sentences categorize things; a subject denotes an object and a predicate identifies a category; true if the object fits [»martAP_1990]
| | Note: Frege breaks a simple predicate (with a truth value) into proper names and concepts or relations; '___ is white' stands for whiteness [»fregG_1892, OK]
| | Quote: an object is the correlate of a proper name; concepts correspond to one-place predicates; relations correspond to two-place relational expressions [»dummM_1967]
| | Quote: meaning characterizes the truth conditions of the most general form of a sentence for a word
| | Quote: understanding predicates leads to an understanding of concepts
| | Quote: objects and concepts are totally different since proper names and predicates are totally different
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Subtopic: words for concepts
| Quote: speech uses discrete words or morphemes for expressing concepts
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Subtopic: meaning depends on use
| Quote: we tend to think about meaning abstractly, in isolation from its uses, but meaning depends on context and use; causes skepticism [»pitkHF_1972]
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Subtopic: abstraction not at perceptual level
Quote: no categorical perception for fluent ASL signers; sharp crossovers in labeling, yet can discriminate similar stimuli in the same category
[»newpEL_1982]
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Related Topics
Group: natural language (16 topics, 539 quotes)
Topic: abstraction (62 items)
Topic: dictionary for natural language (41 items)
Topic: formal methods and languages (53 items)
Topic: language and life as a game (30 items)
Topic: meaning of words (21 items)
Topic: meaning without reference (31 items)
Topic: natural language as communication (34 items)
Topic: philosophy of mind (78 items)
Topic: private language argument for skepticism about meaning (34 items)
Topic: sentences, propositions, and truth (23 items)
Topic: words in natural languages
(40 items)
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