Concepts and their Acquisition. Assessing Jerry Fodor’s Concept Theory in Comparison with the Classical/Empiricist View (eBook)

Essay from the year 2018 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,0, University of Brighton (School of Humanities), course: Approaches to the Study of Meaning, language: English, abstract: Jerry Fodor’s radical concept of nativism did not find many supporters. Some scholars have even declared it to be utterly ridiculous. Yet, as Laurence and Margolis point out, his argument poses challenges that are problematic to oppose by his colleagues. Because it has proven difficult to say exactly what’s wrong with Fodor’s original argument, it still matters, even though his own view on it was not consistent and changed towards the end of his career.

This essay wants to follow his earlier argument and assess it with having regard to an example of colour-concept learning. It will first examine the classical view on the nature of concepts and how Fodor confronted it. After having presented Fodor's own opinion about the composition of concepts, the essay will focus on the question of concept acquisition. It will introduce the two opposing schools of thought and explore some of Fodor’s arguments for the innateness of concepts.