Conceptual Form: The Hidden Structure of Commonsense Concepts

A theory of the formal structure of commonsense concepts.

In Conceptual Form, Sandeep Prasada develops a new and original approach to the study of commonsense concepts. He argues that lexically expressible concepts such as DOG possess a formal structure—a conceptual form—which provides perspectives for thinking, talking, and reasoning. These perspectives are not a property of the things the concept represents. Rather, they are “mental lenses,” or ways of thinking and talking. The conceptual ...