Theories Of Concepts: A History Of The Major Philosophical Traditions

Theories of Concepts A History of the Major Philosophical Tradition Morris Weitz ,~ Routledge Lon n and New York Firs/ published in 1988 by Rou/ledge 11 New Fel/er ÚJne, London EC4P 4EE Pllhlished in /he USA by Routledge , in association With Routledge, Chapman and Hall, lnc. 29 West 35th Street, New York. N Y /000/ Set in 1O/12p/ Times by Witwell Ltd, Southport and printed in Great Britain hy Biddles LId, Guildford No part of this book may be reproduced in any form wi/hout permissionfrom the publisher except for the quo/a/ion of brief passages in cri/icism 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LO 11 12 13 o Library of Congress Ca/aloging in Publica/ion Da/a Weitz, Morris. . Theories of concep/s: a his/ory of /he majar philosophical /radilion/ Morris Weilz. p. cm. Bihliogrophy: p. In eludes index. l. Coneep/s - His/ory. l. Ti/le. BD181. W384 1988 121'.4 - de 19 87-31663 o Bri/ish Lihrory Ca/ologuing in Publica/ion /Veitz. Morris T7wories of coneep/s: a hiSlOry of /he moior philosophicol/rodi/ion. l. Coneep/s . lo Ti/le 121'.4 BDI81 14 Foreword Acknowledgments 1ntrod uction Plato Aristotle Augustine Aquinas Descartes Spinoza Leibniz Hobbes Locke Berkeley Hume Kant Some nineteenth and twentieth century theories: Frege, Russell and Moore Some nineteenth and twentieth century theories: Ryle and Geach Conclusion 15 Notes Bibliography Publications by Morris Weitz Dolo Index VII XII xiii 1 19 34 43 60 79 84 101 113 124 134 147 183 232 256 281 285 302 305 o ríc·-·••.•• C;"-:"l«' ~'"~oc.'Q_J-Jl~~ ~__.__ _ --_ ... ......•..••.. ___11o(,OCf 1 ~ . Professor Morris Wei/z died before publica/ion of /his book and the final editing and preparation ofthe manuscript was done by Professor Morgare/ Collins Weitz. • f 1 J~ For Richard, David and Catherine Morris Weitz spent most of his academic life working in the fields of analytic philosophy, aesthetics, and philosophy in literature. His studies in analytic philosophy were everywhere recognized as models of c1arity and incisiveness. The publication of his study, 'Oxford Philosophy' I was a major event in that it brought to American students of philosophy one of the first comprehensive analyses and explications of the movement that had come to dominate philosophy in England in the years just before and after World War n. As early as 1944 Weitz had published his comprehensive study of the development of the philosophical thought of Bertrand Russell from its earliest stages to the time of writing.2 A steady stream of articles and books dealing with these areas of aesthetics, Iiterature, and analytic philosophy continued to appear until the very end of his Iife. In the course of his philosophical work Weitz became progressively' . rested in the roblem of the nature of concepts. He became convinced that this was one of the most fruitful areas orphilosophical reflection, and one that was only beginning to be proper y exp ore. IS ater wor WflS evote 10 consl erable measure to t IS topic. One result of that effort is the companion volume to the present book.3 The second is this volume which Weitz prepared fully for publication prior to his death. This study is not quite Iike anything else that Weitz wrote, but ir followed naturally from his philosophical interests and fr